When Does CL (Crude Oil Futures) Actually Move? Hourly Ranges on 5 minute Charts
Educational reference. Measured from 17,568 recorded 5 minute bars of Crude Oil through November 3, 2026.
09:00 is the busiest hour, averaging 0.2900 per bar — 4.8× the quietest hour at 19:00.
The same stop is a different stop at different times of day. This is the median high to low range of a single 5 minute bar of Crude Oil, hour by hour, measured from 17,568 recorded bars over the last 90 days.
| Hour (ET) | Median range | Bars | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 0.0900 | 766 | |
| 01:00 | 0.1200 | 767 | |
| 02:00 | 0.1700 | 768 | |
| 03:00 | 0.2100 | 768 | |
| 04:00 | 0.2300 | 768 | |
| 05:00 | 0.2100 | 768 | |
| 06:00 | 0.1900 | 768 | |
| 07:00 | 0.1900 | 768 | |
| 08:00 | 0.2250 | 768 | |
| 09:00 | 0.2900 | 768 | |
| 10:00 | 0.2600 | 765 | |
| 11:00 | 0.2500 | 768 | |
| 12:00 | 0.2100 | 768 | |
| 13:00 | 0.1900 | 768 | |
| 14:00 | 0.1900 | 763 | |
| 15:00 | 0.1300 | 755 | |
| 16:00 | 0.1200 | 756 | |
| 17:00 | 0.1000 | 62 | |
| 18:00 | 0.0900 | 695 | |
| 19:00 | 0.0600 | 758 | |
| 20:00 | 0.1300 | 757 | |
| 21:00 | 0.1700 | 757 | |
| 22:00 | 0.1300 | 762 | |
| 23:00 | 0.1100 | 757 |
The spread across the day
The busiest hour is 09:00, averaging 0.2900 per bar. The quietest is 19:00 at 0.0600. That is a 4.8× difference across the same instrument, the same timeframe, the same trading day.
A stop sized for 19:00 conditions will be caught routinely at 09:00, and a stop sized for 09:00 gives away far more than it needs to overnight. The same number of points does not mean the same thing at every hour.
See LiveCharts.AI predicting Crude Oil live — 7 day free trial →
How this was measured
Every 5 minute bar of Crude Oil recorded in the last 90 days was grouped by the hour it opened, in Eastern time. The figure shown is the median of high minus low within each group — the middle bar of that hour, not the average, so a single outlier session cannot distort it. Hours with fewer than 60 recorded bars are omitted rather than shown on thin evidence.
These are recorded market ranges, not predictions. Nothing on this page is a projection.
See live predictions on LiveCharts.AI →
See LiveCharts.AI in action — predicted candlesticks and indicators, 30 bars into the future, before they occur:
Questions traders ask
Live predict the next 5 minute candle Yes. LiveCharts.AI predicts CL on the 5 minute chart as on every timeframe from 1 minute to 1 hour, with the predicted indicators beside the predicted candles. Candlestick prediction →
CL AI crypto prediction software LiveCharts.AI is an AI charting and prediction app built for futures day traders: live CL charts, predicted candles up to 30 bars ahead and an AI chat that explains the chart, on web, iPhone, iPad and Mac. Futures prediction app →
Will price fall today for Crude Oil Futures? LiveCharts.AI predicts the CL path for the rest of today and tomorrow on every timeframe. It is a prediction, not a certainty; the market page shows how recent ones turned out. Market prediction page →
More questions traders ask
Nymex crude LiveCharts.AI predicts the path of Crude Oil Futures (CL) 30 bars ahead on every timeframe and shows how recent predictions compared with what happened, so the record can be checked before relying on one. Crude Oil Futures predictions →
US oil futures Crude Oil Futures (CL) is live on LiveCharts.AI with the next 30 bars predicted on every timeframe from 1 minute to 1 hour, redrawn as each candle closes. A prediction is an estimate, not a certainty; the market page shows recent CL predictions next to what happened. Crude Oil Futures predictions →
WTI futures CME Open the CL chart on LiveCharts.AI to see where Crude Oil Futures is now and where its next 30 candles are predicted to go. Past CL predictions are published next to what the market actually did. Crude Oil Futures predictions →