Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.
Published . Updated .
Assessing oil's value has grown more complicated as traders weigh recovering exports against the threat of further military escalation.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- USO United States Oil Fund+7.3% 30d
United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- XLE Energy Select Sector SPDR+6.2% 30d
Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- ITA iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF-2.9% 30d
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF: it holds defense and aerospace contractors. Linked by “military” (defense) in this story.
- BWET Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF+40.2% 19d
Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks tanker freight rates. Linked by “middle east” (tanker shipping) in this story.
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings+10.3% 14d
ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- CVX Chevron+8.4% 30d
Chevron (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- COP ConocoPhillips+8.0% 30d
ConocoPhillips (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USONo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XLENo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ITA | -1.57% | -0.30% | base | +2.78% | after close | after close | after close |
| BWETNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XOM | -2.14% | +1.35% | base | -0.33% | after close | after close | after close |
| CVX | -1.18% | +1.19% | base | +0.69% | after close | after close | after close |
| COPNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 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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Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why. International Business Times
Source: International Business Times
The price since 29 Oct 2026: United States Oil Fund (USO) versus the S&P 500
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevron (CVX) | that day | +0.69% | still updating |
| Chevron (CVX) | three days earlier | +1.19% | final price |
| Chevron (CVX) | five days earlier | -1.18% | final price |
| ITA | that day | +2.78% | still updating |
| ITA | three days earlier | -0.30% | final price |
| ITA | five days earlier | -1.57% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | that day | -0.33% | still updating |
| 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. Michael T. McCaul sold Conocophillips (COP) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 26 Aug 2026. That is 64 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Conocophillips (COP) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 24 Aug 2026. That is 66 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Conocophillips (COP), worth $1,000,001 - $5,000,000 on 21 Aug 2026. That is 69 days before publication. Filed 8 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).
Middle East on the map for this story
Geopolitics Alpha has 0 stories about Middle East from the past 7 days and 0 stories from the past 30. “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.” is tagged to Middle East.
United States Oil Fund (USO) on one side of this energy story
Companies tied to this story
- USO United States Oil Fund
United States Oil Fund (USO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why..” Reason on file: United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- XLE Select Sector Spdr Tr
For “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- BWET Amplify Commodity Trust
Amplify Commodity Trust (BWET) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why..” Reason on file: Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF: it tracks tanker freight rates. Linked by “oil” (tanker shipping) in this story
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings
In “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.,” ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- CVX Chevron
Chevron (CVX) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 29 Oct 2026 story “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why..” Reason on file: Chevron (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- COP Conocophillips
In “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.,” Conocophillips (COP) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: ConocoPhillips (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- SHEL Shell
In “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.,” Shell (SHEL) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Shell (crude petroleum and natural gas): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- FRO Frontline
For “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.,” Frontline (FRO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Frontline (deep sea foreign transportation of freight): tanker owners earn more when more crude has to move by sea. Linked by “oil” (tanker shipping) in this story
What Middle East means for United States Oil Fund (USO)
On 29 Oct 2026, “Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.” is the story that connects United States Oil Fund (USO) to Middle East.
United States Oil Fund (USO) is on the page because United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) is here too. Its reason reads: Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
Dates and price levels for United States Oil Fund (USO)
BWET traded between 788.51 and 1047.07 across 17 sessions. The latest close on file is 907.20. USO traded between 141.82 and 169.96 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 166.69. XLE traded between 61.05 and 69.86 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 68.46.
A simple score for United States Oil Fund (USO)
46 out of 100Price not final
“Oil Exports in the Middle East are Soaring, but Prices Are Still Well Above $100. Here’s Why.” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 8 linked companies. The price is not final yet.