Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns
Published . Updated .
Big Oil flush with cash from wartime record profits and political support from the Trump White House has gone on the offensive against unionized refinery
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- CRAK VanEck Oil Refiners ETF
VanEck Oil Refiners ETF: it holds refiners, whose margins move with fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story.
- XLE Energy Select Sector SPDR+6.2% 30d
Energy Select Sector SPDR: it holds refiners, whose margins move with fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story.
- USO United States Oil Fund+7.3% 30d
United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings+10.3% 14d
ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): refiners' margins move with crude and fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story.
- CVX Chevron+8.4% 30d
Chevron (petroleum refining): refiners' margins move with crude and fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story.
- VLO Valero Energy+1.5% 30d
Valero Energy (petroleum refining): refiners' margins move with crude and fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story.
- MPC Marathon Petroleum+10.2% 7d
Marathon Petroleum (petroleum refining): refiners' margins move with crude and fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story.
- SHEL Shell+0.1% 13d
Shell (crude petroleum and natural gas): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRAKNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XLE | -1.29% | +1.72% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| USO | -2.52% | -0.26% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XOM | -2.14% | +1.35% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| CVX | -1.18% | +1.19% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| VLO | +9.72% | +9.74% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| MPC | +4.26% | +6.82% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| SHELNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Closing-price change versus T-1, the last close before the story. T0 to T+3 fill in after each market close. Prices: Alpaca IEX.
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Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns CounterPunch.org
Source: CounterPunch.org
Vaneck Etf Trust (CRAK) since “Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns,” compared with the market
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVX | three days earlier | +1.19% | final price |
| CVX | five days earlier | -1.18% | final price |
| Marathon Petroleum (MPC) | three days earlier | +6.82% | final price |
| Marathon Petroleum (MPC) | five days earlier | +4.26% | final price |
| USO | three days earlier | -0.26% | final price |
| USO | five days earlier | -2.52% | final price |
| Valero Energy (VLO) | three days earlier | +9.74% | final price |
| Valero Energy (VLO) | five days earlier | +9.72% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | three days earlier | +1.72% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | five days earlier | -1.29% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | three days earlier | +1.35% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | five days earlier | -2.14% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) (jointly held), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 59 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM), worth $250,001 - $500,000 on 31 Jul 2026. That is 90 days before publication. Filed 22 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Chevron (CVX) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 36 days before publication. Filed 13 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar bought Chevron (CVX), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 2 Sep 2026. That is 57 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Chevron (CVX), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 26 Aug 2026. That is 64 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. David J. Taylor sold Marathon Petroleum (MPC), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 22 Sep 2026. That is 37 days before publication. Filed 1 Oct 2026. View the filing.
Public disclosure filings, not a recommendation. The filing link is the source document. News use of these reports still sits under 5 U.S.C. § 13107(c).
Vaneck Etf Trust (CRAK) on one side of this energy story
Companies mentioned with this story
- CRAK Vaneck Etf Trust
Vaneck Etf Trust (CRAK) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns.” Reason on file: VanEck Oil Refiners ETF: it holds refiners, whose margins move with fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story
- XLE Select Sector Spdr Tr
For “Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Energy Select Sector SPDR: it holds refiners, whose margins move with fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story
- VLO Valero Energy
Valero Energy (VLO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns.” Reason on file: Valero Energy (petroleum refining): refiners' margins move with crude and fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story
- MPC Marathon Petroleum
Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns.” Reason on file: Marathon Petroleum (petroleum refining): refiners' margins move with crude and fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story
- PSX Phillips 66
In “Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns,” Phillips 66 (PSX) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Phillips 66 (petroleum refining): refiners' margins move with crude and fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings
For “Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns,” ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): refiners' margins move with crude and fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story
How energy news reaches Vaneck Etf Trust (CRAK)
“Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns” (29 Oct 2026) reaches Vaneck Etf Trust (CRAK) through Energy.
For Vaneck Etf Trust (CRAK), the reason on file says VanEck Oil Refiners ETF: it holds refiners, whose margins move with fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story
Also listed, Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE): Energy Select Sector SPDR: it holds refiners, whose margins move with fuel prices. Linked by “refinery” (refining) in this story
What this energy story puts on the calendar
VLO traded between 380.74 and 461.55 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 388.44. XLE traded between 61.05 and 69.86 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 68.46.
The energy score for Vaneck Etf Trust (CRAK)
46 out of 100
“Class Warfare in the Refinery Towns” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 6 linked companies.