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Investing 101 · Mechanics

Contango and backwardation: why your oil ETF is down 90%.

10 min readUpdated May 2026

How the futures curve shape affects commodity ETF returns. Contango drag, backwardation, roll yield, and why USO loses money long-term even when crude oil is fl

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What this guide covers

How the futures curve shape affects commodity ETF returns. Contango drag, backwardation, roll yield, and why USO loses money long-term even when crude oil is fl

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