RBOB Gasoline May (K) Contract

RBOB Gasoline (RB) May (K) contract study: year-by-year results, the day-by-day shape of the move and where highs and lows printed.

Contract Almanac · RBOB Gasoline

The May Contract (RBK): A 16-Year Study

Every May gasoline contract 2011–2026, measured over its tenure as the lead contract · Typically leads Mar 18 – Apr 16

The May contract is the driving-season builder. Leading from mid-March to mid-April, fully summer-grade, with refinery maintenance ending and demand forecasts firming, it has gained in 11 of 16 tenures with a +5.2% median, and its shape repeats the board’s favorite pattern: an early low, a long climb, and a late high.

How this study is measured

Each year is one contract, measured from the open of the day it took over the lead to the close of the day it handed off, the same roll convention used across all Traders Brief research. Tenure lengths vary by a few trading days from year to year, so day counts differ slightly at the tail. All highs and lows are the contract’s own trades, marked by trading day of the tenure, not calendar day.

Record
11 / 5
69% finished higher
Avg change
+3.4%
median +5.2%
Avg best point
+8.3%
peak vs tenure open
Avg worst point
−6.8%
trough vs tenure open

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