individual investors have flocked to the energy sector as oil prices have soared they have been buying a big oil exchangetraded fund the united states oil fund at a pace not seen since 2020 and scooping up shares of energy companies retail investors bought about 10 million of the etf during the past week the secondhighest net weekly flows since around may 2020 according to vanda research oil prices have surged in recent sessions crossing 100 a barrel for the first time since 2014