Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election
Published . Updated .
This report is about oil and natural gas.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- USO United States Oil Fund+9.3% 30d
United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- XLE Energy Select Sector SPDR+6.9% 30d
Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- UNG United States Natural Gas Fund-11.9% 30d
United States Natural Gas Fund: it follows natural-gas prices. Linked by “gas prices” (natural gas) in this story.
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings+10.9% 15d
ExxonMobil Holdings (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- CVX Chevron+10.5% 30d
Chevron (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story.
- EQT Eqt+2.5% 30d
Eqt (crude petroleum and natural gas): gas producers and exporters earn more when gas prices rise. Linked by “gas prices” (natural gas) in this story.
- LNG Cheniere Energy+18.9% 30d
Cheniere Energy (natural gas distribution): gas producers and exporters earn more when gas prices rise. Linked by “gas prices” (natural gas) in this story.
- COP ConocoPhillips+7.7% 30d
ConocoPhillips (petroleum refining): 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USO | +0.80% | -2.73% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XLE | +0.88% | -0.71% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| UNGNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| XOM | +0.03% | -1.79% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| CVX | +0.78% | -1.37% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| EQTNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| LNGNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| COP | +0.55% | -1.36% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
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 giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election The Washington Post
Source: The Washington Post
The price since 30 Oct 2026: United States Oil Fund (USO) versus the S&P 500
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conocophillips (COP) | three days earlier | -1.36% | final price |
| Conocophillips (COP) | five days earlier | +0.55% | final price |
| Chevron (CVX) | three days earlier | -1.37% | final price |
| Chevron (CVX) | five days earlier | +0.78% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | three days earlier | -2.73% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | five days earlier | +0.80% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | three days earlier | -0.71% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | five days earlier | +0.88% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | three days earlier | -1.79% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | five days earlier | +0.03% | final price |
Trades by members of Congress and officials in the stocks in this story
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 14 Oct 2026. That is 16 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) (jointly held), worth $100,001 - $250,000 on 31 Aug 2026. That is 60 days before publication. Filed 25 Sep 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Pete Sessions sold Chevron (CVX), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 14 Oct 2026. That is 16 days before publication. Filed 27 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Kevin Hern sold Chevron (CVX) (jointly held), worth $15,001 - $50,000 on 23 Sep 2026. That is 37 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 58 days before publication. Filed 7 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Eqt (EQT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 27 Aug 2026. That is 64 days before publication. Filed 14 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Donald J Trump, an executive branch official, bought Eqt (EQT), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 17 Aug 2026. That is 74 days before publication. Filed 8 Oct 2026. View the filing.
- Rep. Michael T. McCaul sold Eqt (EQT) (held by a spouse), worth $1,001 - $15,000 on 14 Aug 2026. That is 77 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 26 Aug 2026. That is 65 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 67 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 70 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).
Who gains and who loses around United States Oil Fund (USO)
Companies mentioned with this story
- USO United States Oil Fund
In “Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election,” United States Oil Fund (USO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. 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 giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election,” 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
- UNG United States Natural Gas Fund
For “Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election,” United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: United States Natural Gas Fund: it follows natural-gas prices. Linked by “gas prices” (natural gas) in this story
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings
For “Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election,” 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
In “Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election,” Chevron (CVX) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Chevron (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
- EQT Eqt
Eqt (EQT) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 30 Oct 2026 story “Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election.” Reason on file: Eqt (crude petroleum and natural gas): gas producers and exporters earn more when gas prices rise. Linked by “gas prices” (natural gas) in this story
- LNG Cheniere Energy
For “Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election,” Cheniere Energy (LNG) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Cheniere Energy (natural gas distribution): gas producers and exporters earn more when gas prices rise. Linked by “gas prices” (natural gas) in this story
- COP Conocophillips
Conocophillips (COP) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 30 Oct 2026 story “Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election.” Reason on file: ConocoPhillips (petroleum refining): oil producers' profits rise and fall with crude prices. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
United States Oil Fund (USO) and the energy link
On 30 Oct 2026, “Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election” is the story that connects United States Oil Fund (USO) to Energy.
For United States Oil Fund (USO), the reason on file says United States Oil Fund: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
A second company, Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE), is listed for a different reason: Energy Select Sector SPDR: its price follows crude oil. Linked by “oil” (oil) in this story
What this energy story puts on the calendar
UNG traded between 9.11 and 11.43 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 9.19. USO traded between 141.82 and 169.96 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 168.21. XLE traded between 61.91 and 69.86 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 68.72.
How strong the case is around United States Oil Fund (USO)
46 out of 100
“Oil giants report windfall profits as high gas prices loom over the election” scores 46 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 8 linked companies.