Trump’s controversial speech about possible attacks on Iran leads to big moves in oil stocks such as ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Shell.
• Trump speech causes oil prices to rise sharply
• Oil stocks with strong fluctuations
• US-Iran tensions cause volatile markets
The major oil companies ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP and Shell experienced strong fluctuations in the last few trading days. After US President Donald Trump initially raised hopes that the Middle East war would end soon, his latest speech significantly dampened the euphoria.
The downward trend from the previous day partially continued after trading: Exxon lost a further 0.8 percent on the NYSE to 159.50 US dollars, Chevron was trading 0.61 percent lower at 196.20 US dollars. The high volatility is evident again on Thursday: Shell shares are now turning into profit after the previous day’s losses and temporarily climbed by 2.82 percent to 35.41 pounds in London due to rising oil prices, BP rose by 4.29 percent to 6.01 pounds. Meanwhile, Exxon gained 2.64 percent to $165.14 in premarket trading on the NYSE, while Chevron gained 2.43 percent to $202.20.
Trump’s speech: threats and contradictory signals
In a speech to the nation, Trump said the US was on track to achieve all military objectives “very soon” and announced heavy attacks on Iran in the next two to three weeks. “We will hit them extremely hard. We will put them back in the Stone Age, where they belong,” the US President is quoted as saying by dpa-AFX. At the same time, diplomatic talks are continuing, but if they fail there is a risk of targeted attacks on Iranian power plants.
Trump also appealed to countries affected by the oil shortages to purchase energy from the USA: “Buy oil from the United States. We have plenty. We have so much,” he emphasized, according to dpa-AFX. According to Trump, responsibility for the security of the blocked Strait of Hormuz lies primarily with the buyer states, but the USA would intervene to provide support.
Oil prices rise, stocks remain volatile
Crude oil prices react sensitively to the geopolitical situation: Brent crude oil rose in price on Thursday to just under $110 per barrel. The risk of a blocked strait is keeping prices high, while the shares of major oil companies came under short-term pressure. Despite the setback, analysts remain optimistic in the long term: Exxon recently reported record output of 5 million BOE per day, and the Golden Pass LNG plant started production at the end of March.
Energy stocks remain volatile, driven by Trump’s political statements and developments in the Middle East. Anyone who invests in oil stocks such as Exxon, Chevron, BP or Shell should take short-term fluctuations into account, but in the long term the fundamentals and demand for energy suggest solid opportunities.
Bettina Schneider, Benedict Kurschat, editorial team finanzen.net
This text is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an investment recommendation. finanzen.net GmbH excludes any claims for recourse.
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