Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips stock price has been predicted using the difference between core and headline CPI in the United States. Linear trends in the CPI difference allow accurate prediction of the prices at a five to ten-year horizon.stock price, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, prediction, CPI

Kitov, Ivan

English

Research Papers in Economics

  1
ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil stock price 
Ivan Kitov 
Institute for the Geospheres’ Dynamics, Russian Academy of Sciences 
 
Abstract 
Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips stock price has been predicted using the difference between core and headline CPI 
in the United States. Linear trends in the CPI difference allow accurate prediction of the prices at a five to ten-year 
horizon.  
Key words: stock price, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, prediction, CPI 
JEL classification: G1, E3   2
Introduction 
The future of stock market is unpredictable. This is a well-known motto of market participants, 
who are definitely convinced that all available information is already priced in. Otherwise, one 
would be able to use such unaccounted information and outperform the market. It looks in line 
with common wisdom, but such logic is a faulty one. From the scientific point of view, we are 
always aware that there exists something real that we do not know yet. Accordingly, there exist 
market features and processes currently inaccessible, but fully objective and describing the 
evolution of prices far beyond contemporary paradigm.    
  There are several models and infinite number of tools related to stock pricing. For our 
purposes they are all inapplicable because limited by the convention of unpredictability.  To the 
extent we know, the concept proposed in this paper has no link to the current understanding of 
stock market. Also, we borrow no ideas or techniques from available models and tools. 
Therefore, we omit usual review of the literature devoted to stock markets.  
The main goal is to demonstrate that stock prices, at least for some companies, are 
governed by forces with predictable future. As an example, two large energy-related companies 
have been selected from the S&P 500 list: Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and ConocoPhillips 
(COP).  (Historical data were retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com.) The former has the 
largest weight in the list – around 4.4%, and the latter has an input of 0.85% at the 27
th place. 
This choice is not random. First, we have studied the short- and long-terms behavior of the 
consumer and producer price index for energy, and thus oil-related subcategories, in tiny details 
[1-4].  Second, it is likely that stock prices of energy-related companies are driven by the 
deviation of the headline CPI (with energy included) from the core CPI. In other words, the 
change in XOM and COP stock price) are proportional to the change in the pricing power of 
energy relative to other goods and services. It is likely that the same relation is valid for similar 
companies as well.  
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. Section 1 presents linear trends in the 
difference between the core and headline CPI observed in the past and predicts the evolution at a 
several year horizon.  In Section 2, COP and XOM price is predicted as a linear function of the 
above difference.     3
1.  The model and data 
There exist linear trends in consumer and producer price indices, as derived and validated in [1-
4]. It was found that the difference between the core CPI, cCPI, and the headline CPI, hCPI,   
can be approximated by a simple time function:  
  dCPI(t) = cCPI(t) –  hCPI(t) = A1 + B1t        ( 1 )    
where dCPI(t) is the difference, A1 and B1 are empirical constants, and t is the elapsed time. 
Therefore, the distance between the core CPI and the headline CPI is a linear function of time, 
with a positive or negative slope B1.  
This difference provides an appropriate demonstration of the presence of linear trends. 
(Both variables are seasonally adjusted ones and borrowed from web-site of the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/data.) Figure 1 displays this difference from 1960 to 2009. There 
are three distinct periods of linear dependence on time: from 1960 to 1980, from 1980 to 1998, 
and from 2002 to 2008. The second period is characterized by a linear trend with slope 
B1=+0.66, and the third one has a larger negative slope of B1=-1.59. There are also two turning 
points or short time intervals - between 1980 and 1981, and from 1999 to 2002, where the trends 
undergo major changes.  Since 2008, the difference has been passing third turning point 
accompanied by very high volatility. Similar effect was observed between 1999 and 2002. In the 
past, the trends were very strong attractors to all deviations. Therefore, it is likely that in the near 
future a new linear trend will emerge, which will repeat the previously observed duration and 
slope. In Figure 1, green solid line represents the trend between 2009 and 2015 predicted as a 
mirror reflection of the previous trend between 2002 and 2008.  Basically, the difference will 
grow from 1 unit of index in 2009 to 11 units in 2015.  
Our pricing model is trivial. We assume the presence of a linear link between stock price, 
sp (=XOM or COP), and the difference between the core and headline CPI,  
sp(t) = A2 + B2dCPI(t + t2)            ( 2 )  
where A2 and B2 are empirical constants, t is the elapsed time, and t2≥0 is  the time delay between 
the stock and the  CPI changes, i.e. the CPI may lag behind the price. Constants in (2) are   4
determined for all linear trends. This implies the possibility of structural breaks in relationship 
(2) due to the turn to a new trend.   
y = 0.66x - 1301
y = -1.59x + 3186
-4
0
4
8
12
16
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
calendar year
i
n
d
e
x
 
u
n
i
t
1981-2000
2001-2008
1960-2009
2009-2015
 
Figure 1. The difference between the core and headline CPI as a function of time. One can distinguish 
three periods of quasi-linear behavior with two distinct turning points. For second and third periods, linear 
regression lines are characterized by slopes B1=+0.66 and B1=-1.59, respectively.  Green solid line 
represents the trend between 2009 and 2015 predicted as a mirror reflection of the previous trend. 
 
2.  COP and XOM price 
To begin with, ConocoPhillips stock price is modelled as a linear function of the core and 
headline CPI difference. Trial-and-error method is applied to obtain the best visual fit between 
the COP (monthly close) price and the dCPI(t).  Left panel in Figure 2 illustrate the fit between 
the actual price and that predicted using the following coefficients throughout the whole period 
between 1982 and 2009: A2=90, B2=-4, t2~2 months or 1/6 year. The time lag of approximately 2 
months gives the best fit for the most recent segment of the actual price curve when the price has 
been undergoing a severe fall. This lag is the same for all predicted curves in this study. The 
slope of -4 implies that an increase by 4% in the COP price is followed by a 1% decrease in the 
dCPI in two months.  The actual and predicted curves rapidly diverge back in the past since 
1998.  
  The monthly close price demonstrates a spike near 2005. This sharp tooth was induced by 
a stock split, i.e. is of artificial character. So, it is better to model the close price adjusted for 
dividends and splits.  Right panel in Figure 3 displays corresponding curves. The predicted curve 
is obtained using the following relationship:   5
 COP(t) = (-6)*dCPI(t+1/6) + 80         ( 3 )  
Therefore, the change in the adjusted price is about 50% larger than that in the regular close 
price.  
In the right panel, there is no fit before 1999 as well. At first glance, one might suggest 
that the dCPI provides no information about the evolution of the COP price. Surprisingly, this is 
not a right assumption. Figure 1 shows that the linear trend before 1999 was positive and after 
2002 – negative. In terms of econometrics, there was a structural break in the behavior of the 
dCPI. In other words, the set of long-term economic bounds between goods and services, 
comprising the CPI and defining the linear trend in the dCPI between 1982 and 1999, underwent 
a three-year-long transition to a new set. In turn, the new set defined the trend observed from 
2002 to 2008. So, it is reasonable to assume that the sign of slope in (2) should change to an 
opposite one.  Since the positive slope between 1981 and 1999 is only about a half of that 
between 2002 and 2008, one can expect that coefficient B2 before 1999 should also be divided by 
a factor of 2. Free term in (2) is another issue – it must change in a way to retain the continuity of 
the predicted price function. After reversing the sign and calibrating relevant amplitude and level 
between 1982 and 1998 (we included the transition into the second segment) we have obtained a 
much better fit as depicted in Figure 3 using the following function:  
COP(t) = (+3)*dCPI(t-2) – 10; 1980<t<2002                   (4) 
Finally, a complete prediction of the COP price between 1982 and 2009 is obtained. 
Before 1987, the predicted curve in Figure 3 sinks below the zero line.  There is no special need 
to describe the price in the early 1980s using the CPI difference. As shown in [1,2], all 
subcategories of the consumer price index, except the index for energy, are parallel before 1982. 
Therefore, the difference between any two indices, including the headline and core CPI, is 
constant, i.e. it contains no information on the changes in stock prices. In any case, accurate 
prediction of the past is of lower interest than prediction of the future.  
Similar procedures have been applied to Exxon Mobile stock price adjusted for dividends 
and splits. Figure 4 summarizes most important findings. In general, the evolution of XOM price 
is very similar to that of COP. A minor deviation consists in a slightly bigger free term of 90. 
This might result from the usage of the trial-and-error method with visual fit. It is really crude   6
and does not provide accurate estimates of coefficients in (2).  The similarity of the COP and 
XOM time series allows suggesting that other large oil companies in the S&P 500 list also obey 
relationship (2). We leave it to the reader to conduct comprehensive research.   
0
40
80
120
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
calendar year
C
O
P
,
 
$
COP
core CPI - CPI
0
40
80
120
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
calendar year
C
O
P
,
 
$
COP
core CPI - CPI
 
Figure 2. Historical (close) prices for COP (black line) and the scaled difference between the core CPI 
and the headline CPI (red line) from 1982 to 2009.  Left panel: Close price. A2=90, B2=-4. Notice two 
splits in 1985 and 2005. Right panel: Close price adjusted for dividends and splits. A2=80, B2=-6.  
-40
0
40
80
120
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
calendar year
C
O
P
,
 
$
COP
core CPI - CPI
0
40
80
120
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
calendar year
C
O
P
,
 
$
COP
core CPI - CPI
 
Figure 3.  The observed and predicted COP price: A2=-10, B2=3 (1982-1998); A2=80, B2=-6 (1999-2009) 
-40
0
40
80
120
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
calendar year
X
O
M
,
 
$
XOM
core CPI - CPI
0
40
80
120
2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010
calendar year
X
O
M
,
 
$
XOM
core CPI - CPI
 
Figure 4. Same as in Figure 3 for XOM. A2=-10, B2=3 (1980-1998); A2=90, B2=-6 (1999-2009).    7
Now, if XOM and COP stock price will follow the new trend in the dCPI (green line) in 
Figure 1, as is did between 1985 and 2008, one will be able to predict the “trend price” at any 
given time before 2015.  Large deviations from this trend price are likely in the future because 
they were observed in the past.  Even when random, these deviations contain crucial information 
on the change in relevant stock prices. Any deviation from the trend must be compensated in the 
short run by an adequate deviation with an opposite sign to retain the price near the trend in the 
long run. Physically, it sounds like the action of restoring force returning a pendulum in the 
equilibrium position. Figure 5 displays absolute and relative difference between the observed and 
predicted time series for ConocoPhillips. Both differences demonstrate substantial amplitudes. A 
remarkable feature of the difference is that any deviation is compensated in the short-run. Hence, 
the larger is a given deviation from the zero line the higher is the return from the next 
compensating movement. It is a matter of time only, but the probability of such event was 100 
per cent.  
-30
-20
-10
0
10
20
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
calendar year
d
i
f
f
y = -0.0003x + 0.6126
-0.8
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
calendar year
d
i
f
f
 
Figure 5. Absolute (left panel) and relative (right panel) difference between the observed and predicted 
time series. Both differences demonstrate substantial amplitudes. A remarkable feature of the difference is 
that any deviation is compensated in the short-run. Hence, the larger is a given deviation from the zero 
line the higher is the return from compensating movement.   
 
Conclusion  
This paper presents preliminary results of a feasibility study. By no means, this is a 
comprehensive investigation of the CPI and its components as a predictor of stock prices. All 
empirical constants were estimated by very crude visual fit. So, we do not recommend the usage 
of our quantitative results for actual evaluation of investment strategy.     8
       At the same time, there is enough information for several basic conclusions. In general, 
the difference between the core and headline CPI provides a good approximation of the evolution 
of the price for energy-related stocks. However, there are short periods of rapid and deep fall in 
stock price associated with the change in linear trends. The fall is likely induced by higher 
volatility in the CPI during the transitions. Conditions of low confidence and high risk associated 
with elevated volatility might be easily transformed into mass panic.  
Between 1999 and 2002, the functional dependence of XOM and COP price on the dCPI 
underwent a transformation from positive factor B2=+3 to negative factor B2=-6. Within the 
uncertainty of relevant estimates, the ratio of these factors (-6/3)=-2 is close to the ratio of the 
slopes in corresponding linear trends (-1.57/0.66)~-2.4.   Hence, one can expect that B2 for the 
new trend will be proportional to its slope. Inevitably, Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips stock 
price will be growing after the end of the current transition period. This will happen despite the 
fact that the price index for energy (and thus oil price) will be growing at a lower rate than the 
core CPI.  
A new rally with known B2 is likely to start in 2010, after the end of the current transition 
period.  In five to ten years, the difference between the core and headline CPI will reach the next 
turning point. Then XOM and COP price will suffer a sudden drop again.   
In a sense, company name is irrelevant under the framework developed in this paper. The 
evolution of stock price for any company can be modelled and thus the time when the price will 
go up or down can be predicted. However, it is possible that some companies from the S&P 500 
list cannot be represented as a function of the dCPI. Then other difference between various 
subcategories of the CPI could be tested as a predictor.  Figure 6 depicts preliminary results of 
the modelling of MSFT stock price using the difference between the headline CPI and the index 
for housing, H(t):  hCPI(t)-H(t). The overall dependence is split into two segments with different 
coefficients: before and after 2003. This is the year when the difference turned to a constant line 
with high volatility. This is a preliminary model and much more work is needed to obtain a 
consistent model. Even a crude forecast of general trends in stock prices at a five-year horizon is 
a valuable piece of information.     9
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
calendar year
CPI - Housing
0
50
100
150
200
1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
calendar year
M
S
F
T
,
 
$
MSFT
CPI - housing
 
Figure 6.  Left panel: the evolution of the difference between the headline CPI and the price index for 
housing. After 2003, the difference is practically parallel to the x-axis. Right panel: Monthly (unadjusted) 
close price of MSTF stock and the price predicted using the difference in the left panel with the following 
coefficients:  A2=40, B2=15 (before 2003); A2=30, B2=2 (after 2003). 
 
References  
[1] Kitov, I., Kitov, O., (2008). Long-Term Linear Trends In Consumer Price Indices, Journal of Applied Economic 
Sciences, Spiru Haret University, Faculty of Financial Management and Accounting Craiova, vol. 
3(2(4)_Summ), pp.  101-112. 
[2] Kitov, I., (2009). Apples and oranges: relative growth rate of consumer price indices, MPRA Paper 13587, 
University Library of Munich, Germany, http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/13587/01/MPRA_paper_13587.pdf  
[3] Kitov, I., Kitov, O., (2009). A fair price for motor fuel in the United States, MPRA Paper 15039, University 
Library of Munich, Germany, http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/15039/01/MPRA_paper_15039.pdf 
[4] Kitov, I., Kitov, O., (2009). Sustainable trends in producer price indices, MPRA Paper 15194, University Library 
of Munich, Germany, http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/15194/01/MPRA_paper_15194.pdf 
 

ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil stock price

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