Retail Oil Traders Spark ETF Boom Amid Institutional Slump

A pumpjack near Driscoll, Texas.

Photographer: Eddie Seal/Bloomberg

Anthony Sandford knew it was time to jump back into the energy sector when US warplanes first cast shadows over Tehran in late February.

A week later, the Minneapolis-based day trader bought June call options on the XLE — an exchange-traded fund that tracks oil stocks — a position that has since doubled in value. Sandford won’t sell until the ETF reaches $60, roughly $2.50 above the current price.