US benchmark WTI oil collapses to $0.01/barrel; closes at -$37.63/barrel

NEW YORK - The US benchmark crude oil price collapsed on Monday, falling to one cent a barrel amid an epic supply glut caused largely by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic's effect to demand.

After beating the record low multiple times, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for May delivery continued to sink to the unheard of price of a penny a barrel, before inching up to $0.27 at about 1815 GMT in New York.

Sellers of the May contract have just one more day to find buyers, but with storage in short supply, they are struggling to find takers.

The WTI contract for June delivery is trading at a still low $22 a barrel.

Oil prices ended New York trading in the negative on Monday for the first time ever, as a supply glut forced traders to pay others to take the commodity.

With space to store oil scarce, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for May delivery ended trading at -$37.63 a barrel ahead of Tuesday's close for futures contracts -- when traders who buy and sell the commodity for profit would have had to take physical possession of it.. -- Agence France-Presse