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Company

United States 12 Month Oil Fund, LP

Ticker
USL
Sector
Industry
Report date
August 8, 2026
Valye AI Score

92

Very high visibility
Recent developments
Recent developments summary

Recent news coverage highlights USL's financial performance, market impacts on oil ETFs, and geopolitical influences on oil prices.

Recent developments:
  • United States 12 Month Oil Fund reported a loss for November, reflecting market volatility and price declines in crude oil futures [N2].
  • Oil ETFs, including USL, gained on market reactions to Russian sanctions, indicating sensitivity to geopolitical events [N4].
  • Analyst blogs have highlighted USL alongside other oil ETFs as notable investment vehicles in the energy sector [N3].
  • Discussions on whether to invest in crude oil ETFs like USL have been featured, reflecting ongoing investor interest and market debate [N5].
  • Oil ETFs experienced price jumps in response to escalation in Middle East tensions, underscoring geopolitical risk factors [N6].
  • At the start of 2025, oil ETFs including USL saw increased activity as supply tightened, showing market responsiveness [N7].
  • Oil prices fell for the second consecutive year, impacting ETFs focused on crude oil including USL [N8].
  • If oil prices continue climbing, USL is identified among ETFs that could benefit from such market conditions [N1].
Overview

United States 12 Month Oil Fund, LP (USL) is an exchange-traded fund that seeks to track the price of light, sweet crude oil by investing in a rolling portfolio of oil futures contracts and other oil-related investments. The fund holds its assets primarily in oil futures contracts traded on the NYMEX and ICE Futures exchanges, along with cash, cash equivalents, money market funds, and U.S. Treasuries used as margin and collateral. USL does not employ leverage or borrow funds, focusing on maintaining sufficient liquidity to meet margin and collateral obligations. Shares are issued and redeemed in Creation Baskets of 50,000 shares by Authorized Participants and trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker USL. The fund's NAV is calculated daily based on the market value of its assets minus liabilities divided by shares outstanding. USL's performance is influenced by crude oil futures price volatility, market conditions such as contango and backwardation, and regulatory position limits. The fund incurs management fees, brokerage commissions, licensing fees, and other operating expenses. USL's governance includes oversight by USCF as general partner and independent directors. The fund's financial results and operations are regularly disclosed in SEC filings and monthly account statements.

Executive summary

United States 12 Month Oil Fund, LP (USL) is a publicly registered investment fund that primarily invests in oil futures contracts and related instruments to track the price of light, sweet crude oil. As of June 30, 2026, USL held approximately $34.76 million in cash and equivalents. The fund does not use leverage and maintains liquidity to meet margin and collateral requirements. For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, USL reported a net loss of approximately $1.87 million. The fund's NAV per share declined from $38.01 at the end of 2024 to $33.31 at the end of 2025, reflecting volatility and price declines in crude oil futures. USL's expenses include management fees, brokerage commissions, licensing fees, and tax reporting costs. The fund is subject to regulatory position limits and margin requirements. Recent news coverage highlights market impacts on oil ETFs including USL, with reports of losses and market reactions to geopolitical events. Financial figures (if any) are summarized from the latest available SEC filings and are provided for informational purposes only — not financial advice.

Scenarios for USL

Bull case model:

USL offers investors a direct and regulated vehicle to gain exposure to crude oil price movements through a diversified portfolio of futures contracts. Its structure allows for daily liquidity and transparent pricing, which can appeal to investors seeking tactical or strategic exposure to oil markets. The fund's management of margin and collateral requirements without leverage reduces certain financial risks. Market conditions that favor rising oil prices or increased volatility may enhance investor interest and trading volumes in USL. The fund's established operational and regulatory compliance framework supports investor confidence and market participation.

Bear case model:

USL's performance is subject to significant volatility and risk due to fluctuations in crude oil futures prices, including periods of contango and backwardation that can erode returns. Regulatory position limits and accountability levels may restrict the fund's ability to fully implement its investment strategy, potentially causing tracking errors. The fund's holdings in money market funds and Treasuries expose it to interest rate risk and credit risk, which can affect liquidity and asset values. Market disruptions, geopolitical conflicts, and regulatory changes can adversely impact the fund's NAV and investor returns. Additionally, the fund's expenses, including management fees and brokerage costs, may reduce net returns, especially in periods of low or negative income.

Moat:

USL's moat derives from its specialized investment strategy focused on providing investors with exposure to the price movements of light, sweet crude oil through a rolling portfolio of oil futures contracts. Its structure as a publicly registered and regulated investment fund with established relationships with futures exchanges and authorized participants supports liquidity and market access. The fund's operational infrastructure, including risk management, margining, and compliance with regulatory position limits, provides a barrier to entry for less established competitors. Additionally, USL's ability to offer daily NAV pricing and trading on a major exchange enhances investor accessibility. However, the fund's performance and attractiveness are closely tied to crude oil market dynamics and regulatory frameworks, which can impact its competitive position.

Risks overview
Risks summary
The primary risks for USL stem from crude oil price volatility, regulatory position limits affecting investment strategy, liquidity and margin requirements, and counterparty risks related to custodians and futures brokers.
Risks details:

• Market Price Volatility: USL's NAV and returns are highly sensitive to fluctuations in crude oil futures prices, which can be volatile due to geopolitical events, supply-demand imbalances, and macroeconomic factors [S1].
• Regulatory Position Limits: USL is subject to position limits and accountability levels imposed by futures exchanges, which may restrict its ability to hold certain futures contracts and impact its investment strategy and tracking performance [S1].
• Liquidity and Margin Requirements: The fund must maintain sufficient liquidity to meet margin and collateral obligations for its futures and swap positions. Failure to do so could lead to forced liquidation or tracking errors [S13, S17].
• Counterparty and Custodian Risk: USL's assets held with futures commission merchants (FCMs) and custodians are subject to counterparty risk, including potential insolvency, which could result in loss of assets [S16, S18, S19].
• Interest Rate and Credit Risk: Investments in money market funds and Treasuries expose USL to interest rate risk and credit risk, which can affect the value of these holdings and income generated [S1, S16].
• Operational and Legal Risks: USL may face operational risks including cybersecurity threats and legal proceedings, although no material legal proceedings are currently pending [S1, S2].

FINAL FORECAST FOR USL

Final take one line
USL is a well-documented oil futures ETF with detailed regulatory disclosures and active market coverage, reflecting its exposure to crude oil price volatility and regulatory constraints.
Final take 12 to 24 month view

Business trends: USL's performance and investor interest are influenced by crude oil price volatility, geopolitical events, and regulatory position limits.
Execution milestones: Ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements, maintenance of liquidity and margin obligations, and transparent reporting through SEC filings and monthly statements.
Key risks: Market price volatility, regulatory constraints on futures positions, liquidity and margin risks, counterparty and custodian risks, and interest rate exposure on cash holdings.

Valye AI Visibility Research Score

Very high visibility

Visibility score reflects the breadth and consistency of available disclosure across SEC filings, recent public reporting, and baseline business context (research-only; not investment advice).

92
LLM visibility overview
LLM Visibility known facts
  • United States 12 Month Oil Fund, LP (USL) is an investment fund that invests primarily in oil futures contracts and other oil-related investments to track the price of light, sweet crude oil as represented by Benchmark Oil Futures Contracts traded on the NYMEX and ICE Futures exchanges [S1].
  • USL's investment strategy involves holding Oil Futures Contracts and rolling them monthly to maintain exposure to the next twelve months of crude oil futures [S1].
  • USL does not use leverage or borrow money; it invests to maintain adequate liquidity to meet margin and collateral requirements for its futures and swap positions [S1, S13, S17].
  • USL holds a significant portion of its net assets in cash, cash equivalents, money market funds, and U.S. Treasuries, which are used as margin and collateral for its futures trading [S1, S13, S16].
  • As of June 30, 2026, USL had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $34.76 million [S2].
  • USL's revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 was negative $1.73 million, and net income was negative $1.87 million for the same period [S2].
  • USL's management fee is 0.60% of net assets, with additional expenses including brokerage fees, licensing fees, and tax reporting costs [S1, S20, S21, S22].
  • USL's shares are issued and redeemed in Creation Baskets of 50,000 shares by Authorized Participants; shares trade on the NYSE Arca under the ticker USL [S1, S5].
  • USL's net asset value (NAV) per share was $33.31 at December 31, 2025, down from $38.01 at the end of 2024, reflecting a decrease in crude oil futures prices during 2025 [S1, S7].
  • USL's portfolio held 642 crude oil futures contracts on the NYMEX as of December 31, 2025, with no holdings on ICE Futures [S1].
  • USL is subject to position limits and accountability levels imposed by futures exchanges such as NYMEX and ICE Futures, which may affect its ability to invest in certain contracts [S1].
  • USL is not a Swap Entity under margin rules but is a financial end-user subject to variation margin requirements for swaps it enters into [S1].
  • USL's liquidity needs include redeeming shares, margin deposits for futures contracts, posting collateral for OTC swaps, and payment of expenses; it meets these needs from proceeds of investments and cash holdings [S13, S14, S15, S17].
  • USL's investments in money market funds and Treasuries are subject to risks including credit risk, interest rate risk, and potential loss of principal [S1, S16, S19].
  • USL's NAV and share price are affected by crude oil futures price volatility, including market states of contango and backwardation [S1].
  • USL's monthly account statements and financial reports are publicly available on its website [S2].
  • USL has not been involved in any material legal proceedings recently [S1, S2].
  • USL's governance includes oversight by USCF as general partner, with independent directors providing additional oversight [S3].
  • Recent news highlights include reports of USL's November loss, discussions of oil price impacts on ETFs including USL, and market reactions to geopolitical events affecting oil prices [N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, N6, N7, N8].
Sources
Sources - Context summary

Generated 2026-08-09

Sources - Earning calls
Sources - Other context
Sources - SEC Filings
  • S1 | 2026-02-27 | 10-K
  • S2 | 2026-08-07 | 10-Q
Sources - News headlines
  • N1 | 2026-03-16 | www.nasdaq.com | If Oil Prices Keep Climbing, These 3 ETFs Could Be Big Winners | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/if-oil-prices-keep-climbing-these-3-etfs-could-be-big-winners
  • N2 | 2026-02-28 | www.nasdaq.com | United States 12 Month Oil Fund Reports November Loss | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/united-states-12-month-oil-fund-reports-november-loss
  • N3 | 2025-10-24 | www.nasdaq.com | The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights USO, BNO, DBO and USL | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/zacks-analyst-blog-highlights-uso-bno-dbo-and-usl
  • N4 | 2025-10-23 | www.nasdaq.com | Oil ETFs Gain on Russian Sanctions: Can the Rally Last? | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/oil-etfs-gain-russian-sanctions-can-rally-last
  • N5 | 2025-10-07 | www.nasdaq.com | Should You Invest in Crude Oil ETFs Now? | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/should-you-invest-crude-oil-etfs-now
  • N6 | 2025-06-13 | www.nasdaq.com | Oil ETFs Jump on Escalation in Middle East Tensions | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/oil-etfs-jump-escalation-middle-east-tensions
  • N7 | 2025-01-13 | www.nasdaq.com | Oil ETFs Jump at the Start of 2025 as Supply Tightens | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/oil-etfs-jump-start-2025-supply-tightens
  • N8 | 2025-01-07 | www.nasdaq.com | Oil Prices Fall for the Second Consecutive Year: ETFs in Focus | https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/oil-prices-fall-second-consecutive-year-etfs-focus
Important legal disclaimer

This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, financial, legal or tax advice, or an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. The Valye AI Score is a model-based estimate derived from public information and is subject to change without notice. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made as to the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the information herein. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investors should conduct their own research and consult a qualified financial adviser before making any investment decisions.

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