Can I buy oil on the stock market or is the only way to capitalize on oil prices is to invest in oil companies?

Besides USO, there is also USL, UHN, DBO, and OIL.Can I buy oil on the stock market or is the only way to capitalize on oil prices is to invest in oil companies?
jp:





The most direct way to buy oil is on the


NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange,


futures contracts. That is information only.


It would be financial suicide for you to


trade futures when you lack experience.





Even those with experience, still lose.





Buying oil companies is not a proxy for


buying oil. The companies have to buy


equipment, assets, acquire debt, be run


by a management team, etc.





The debt acquired may not be wise, the


management team may be mismanaging


the company, all unrelated to the price of


oil, even though oil may be their main


concern.





I question your choice of vehicles for


presumably making money. Your pick


is inherently risky, and proxy stock oil


companies may or may not do as well


were oil to rise in value.Can I buy oil on the stock market or is the only way to capitalize on oil prices is to invest in oil companies?
You can purchase an ETF which is the simplest way to play a sector/industry in the form of a stock. But if you have the money (or a margin account) you can actually buy futures contracts on oil (I forget the exact numbers but each contract is worth thousands) or any commodity. That would be considered a direct play and would not mitigate risk across an industry.
You can buy stock in an oil company. Or you can buy a futures contract on oil. Or you can invest in an ETF that tracks oil, such as USO or USL.