MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil traded near six-month highs, poised for first weekly gain in three weeks on growing conflict concerns. Brent edged down $0.25 (0.35%) to $71.41/bbl, while WTI lost $0.19 (0.45%) to $66.21/bbl as of 7:00 AM EST. Over the week, Brent up 5.3%, WTI up 5.2%. "We're waiting for a potential binary outcome if we should take Trump's words at face value," said Saxo Bank's Ole Hansen. "The market is nervous, it's going to be a wait-and-see day." _____________________

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | 6:15 AM EST ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil edged higher after falling about 2% Tuesday as investors assessed progress in U.S.-Iran talks but remained cautious about prospects for a final deal. Brent rose $0.86 (.4%) to $68.28/bbl, while WTI gained $0.83 (1.4%) to $63.16/bbl as of 6:00 AM EST. ________________________________________ IRAN TALKS: 'GUIDING PRINCIPLES' AGREED BUT NO DEAL IMMINENT Iran and the U.S. reach

Friday, February 6, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil held steady as investors awaited news from high-stakes U.S.-Iran talks in Oman. Brent rose $0.14 (0.1%) to $67.69/bbl, while WTI gained $0.10 (0.1%) to $63.39/bbl as of 6:40 AM EST. Weekly Performance: Brent is set to end the week down 4.3%, while WTI is on track to end little changed, reflecting the Iran war premium deflation from Monday's 5% plunge. Lack of consensus on the agenda for the

Wednesday, February 4, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil rallied as military confrontations between the U.S. and Iran rekindled war fears ahead of Friday's nuclear talks. Brent rose $0.27 to $67.60/bbl, while WTI gained $0.37 to $63.58/bbl as of 6:00 EST. Both benchmarks have seesawed this week between news of talks to de-escalate U.S.-Iran tensions and heightened fears of potential disruption to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz....

Monday, February 2, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil collapsed as Iran-U.S. dialogue deflated the geopolitical premium that drove January's historic rally. Brent plunged $3.26 (4.67%) to $66.06/bbl, while WTI fell $3.30 (5%) to $61.91/bbl as of 6:00 EST. Context: Brent and WTI just posted their biggest monthly increases since 2022 in January - Brent up 16%, WTI up 13% - driven by Iran military strike threats, Winter Storm Fern, and Kazakhstan

Friday, January 30, 2026 | 6:15 AM EST ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil fell on signs the U.S. may engage in dialogue with Iran, reducing supply disruption concerns. Brent fell $0.68 (1%) to $70.03/bbl as the March contract expires today. The more active April contract lost $0.80 (1.15%) to $68.79/bbl. WTI declined as of 6:00 AM EST. Monthly Performance: Despite Friday's decline, benchmark prices remain on track for large monthly gains. Brent is se

Wednesday, January 28, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil reached its highest level since late September before retreating slightly in early trading. Brent fell $0.13 to $67.44/bbl, while WTI dropped $0.02 to $62.37/bbl as of 6:30 AM EST, after both hit multi-month highs overnight. Winter storm disruption of U.S. crude output, weak U.S. dollar (hovering near four-year lows), and continued Kazakh outages combined to push prices to their highest l

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | 6:15 AM EST ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil rose modestly as massive U.S. winter storm impacts were tempered by Kazakhstan's supply return. Brent gained $0.23 (0.35%) to $65.82/bbl, while WTI rose $0.29 (0.48%) to $60.92/bbl as of 6:15 AM EST. Markets are balancing the largest U.S. weather-related production outage in years against normalizing Kazakh supply and persistent fundamental oversupply. ________________________

Thursday, January 22, 2026 | 6:15 AM EST ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil reversed recent gains as Trump de-escalated multiple geopolitical threats and U.S. crude inventories posted a larger-than-expected build. Brent fell $0.92 (0.9%) to $64.32/bbl, while WTI dropped $0.87 (0.9%) to $59.75/bbl as of 6:15 AM EST. Contracts climbed over 0.4% Wednesday following Tuesday's 1.5% gain after Kazakhstan halted Tengiz and Korolev output. "There is a deflat

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil declined as expectations of rising U.S. crude inventories outweighed the temporary Kazakh field shutdown and Greenland tariff tensions. Brent fell $0.55 (0.9%) to $64.37/bbl, while WTI dropped $0.51 (0.7%) to $59.85/bbl as of 5:45 AM EST. Both contracts closed about 1.5% higher Tuesday after Kazakhstan halted output at Tengiz and Korolev. "The oil output halt at Tengiz and Korolev is temp

Thursday, January 15, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil tumbled as Trump said Iran assured him it would stop killing protesters, eliminating the immediate risk of U.S. military action. Brent crude fell $2.50 (3.7%) to $64.02/bbl, while WTI dropped $2.34 (3.75%) to $59.68/bbl as of 6:00 AM EST. Brent rose above $66.50 Wednesday before giving back most gains after Trump's remarks reduced expectations of potential U.S. strikes on Iran. "The immedi

Wednesday, January 14, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil prices extended gains sharply in the last hour as reports emerged that U.S. personnel were advised to leave a major American air base in Qatar, signaling a tangible escalation in Middle East tensions. Brent futures rose $0.87 (1.2%) to $66.34/bbl, while WTI climbed $0.83 (1.25%) to $61.98/bbl as of 6:00 AM EST, with momentum accelerating after the Qatar headlines crossed. “We are in a per

Monday, January 12, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil pulled back from last week's rally as Iran said it had regained control following the biggest anti-government demonstrations in years. Brent crude fell $0.47 to $62.87/bbl, while WTI dropped $0.49 to $58.63/bbl as of 6:15 AM EST. "Lower European equity markets and lack of additional supply disruptions is moderately weighing on oil prices, following a strong rally at the end of last week," sa

Wednesday, January 7, 2026 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil tumbled as Trump announced a deal to import up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude, adding supply to an already oversupplied market. Brent crude fell $0.16 to $60.54/bbl, while WTI dropped $0.27 to $56.86/bbl as of 7:00 AM EST. Both benchmarks extended declines of over $1 from the previous session. The deal flips the Venezuela narrative from supply disruption to supply addition, with T

Monday, December 22, 2025 ________________________________________ MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil rallied on renewed Venezuela supply disruption fears. Brent crude gained $1.18 to $61.65/bbl, while WTI rose $1.10 to $57.62/bbl as of 6:30 AM EST. Both benchmarks fell roughly 1% last week. "The market is waking up to the fact that the Trump administration is taking a hardline approach to Venezuelan oil trade" Venezuelan crude accounts for about 1% of global supply. _______________________

Friday, December 12, 2025 ________________________________________ Oil edged lower and headed for a weekly decline as oversupply concerns overshadowed geopolitical risks. Brent crude fell $0.11 (0.31%) to $61.17/bbl, while WTI dropped $0.08 (0.26%) to $57.52/bbl as of 7:00 EST. Both benchmarks tumbled roughly 1.5% Thursday and are down over 4% for the week. Markets are prioritizing fundamental supply glut fears and potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal over escalating U.S.-Ven

Thursday, December 4, 2025 | 6:00AM EST ________________________________________ Oil edged higher on supply disruption concerns despite weak fundamentals. Brent crude rose $0.39 (0.65%) to $63.06/bbl, while WTI gained $0.45 (0.76%) to $59.40/bbl. Key Driver: Ukraine's intensifying attacks on Russian oil infrastructure combined with no diplomatic breakthrough kept supply concerns alive, though broad oversupply kept gains modest. ________________________________________ TOP DEV

Wednesday, December 3, 2025 MARKET SNAPSHOT Oil rallied over 1% as hopes for near-term sanctions relief faded. Brent crude climbed $0.85 (1.3%) to $63.30/bbl, while WTI gained $0.85 (1.5%) to $59.49/bbl as of 5:55 AM EST. Both benchmarks reversed Tuesday's 1%+ losses. Key Driver: Failed U.S.-Russia peace talks in Moscow eliminated prospects for quick removal of sanctions on Russian oil companies, keeping supply constraints in play longer than some traders anticipated....

Tuesday, December 2, 2025 Oil traded slightly lower in early U.S. hours as markets balanced renewed geopolitical risk—drone strikes on Russian energy sites and escalating U.S.–Venezuela tensions—against ongoing worries of a structurally oversupplied 2026. Monday’s gains faded, but the tone remained steadier than last week as traders reassessed infrastructure damage, diplomacy updates, and shifting Russian supply flows. ________________________________________ Market Snapshot

Monday, Dec 1, 2025 Oil markets are rebounding sharply to start the week as fresh supply disruptions, renewed geopolitical tensions, and an OPEC+ decision to keep output steady all collide with a market that had been trading heavily on surplus concerns. Traders are weighing the immediate impact of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium export halt and the U.S.-Venezuela escalation against the longer-term signals from OPEC+ that stability now outweighs any push to reclaim market shar