Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions
Published . Updated .
International oil prices have surged to a six-month high amid concerns that the United States-Israel-Iran war could escalate after the U.S. midterm elections.
Directly affected
- No company is named in this report.
Indirectly affected
- BNO United States Brent Oil Fund+14.2% 30d
Tracks Brent when Iranian supply is at risk. Linked by “iran + oil” in this story
- BWET Breakwave Tanker Shipping ETF+64.8% 18d
Tanker freight rates move with Iranian export risk. Linked by “iran + oil” in this story
- USO United States Oil Fund+8.2% 30d
Oil prices move when Iranian supply is at risk. Linked by “iran + oil” in this story
- XLE Energy Select Sector SPDR+7.4% 30d
Energy companies move with Iran supply risk. Linked by “iran + oil” in this story
- XOM Exxon Mobil+11.0% 11d
Oil producers earn more when crude prices rise. Linked by “iran + oil” in this story
- CVX Chevron+9.9% 30d
Oil producers earn more when crude prices rise. Linked by “oil price + prices” in this story
Price reaction, T-5 to T+3
| Ticker | T-5 | T-3 | T-1 | T0 | T+1 | T+2 | T+3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BNONo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| BWETNo price data for this ticker | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| USO | -5.13% | -5.78% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XLE | -2.19% | -1.69% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| XOM | -2.72% | -2.80% | base | after close | after close | after close | after close |
| CVXNo 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 Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions Businesskorea
Source: Businesskorea
The price since 26 Oct 2026: United States Oil Fund (USO) versus the S&P 500
| Company | When | Move | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | three days earlier | -5.78% | final price |
| United States Oil Fund (USO) | five days earlier | -5.13% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | three days earlier | -1.69% | final price |
| Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) | five days earlier | -2.19% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | three days earlier | -2.80% | final price |
| ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) | five days earlier | -2.72% | 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 56 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 87 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 33 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 54 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 61 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).
Where this story sits: Middle East
Geopolitics Alpha has 0 stories about Middle East from the past 7 days and 0 stories from the past 30. “Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions” is tagged to Middle East.
Who gains and who loses around United States Oil Fund (USO)
The side that tends to collect
- USO United States Oil Fund
For “Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions,” United States Oil Fund (USO) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: This fund moves with oil prices. Linked by “oil price + prices” in this story
- XLE Select Sector Spdr Tr
Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) tends to benefit, medium confidence in the 26 Oct 2026 story “Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions.” Reason on file: A fund of energy companies. Linked by “oil price + prices” in this story
- XOM ExxonMobil Holdings
In “Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions,” ExxonMobil Holdings (XOM) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: Oil producers earn more when crude prices rise. Linked by “oil price + prices” in this story
- CVX Chevron
For “Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions,” Chevron (CVX) tends to benefit, medium confidence. Reason on file: Oil producers earn more when crude prices rise. Linked by “oil price + prices” in this story
No up or down call on file
- BNO United States Brent Oil Fund
For “Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions,” United States Brent Oil Fund (BNO) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: Tracks Brent, the global crude benchmark. Linked by “oil price + prices” in this story
How energy news reaches United States Oil Fund (USO)
“Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions” (26 Oct 2026) reaches United States Oil Fund (USO) through Middle East.
For United States Oil Fund (USO), the reason on file says This fund moves with oil prices. Linked by “oil price + prices” in this story
Also listed, Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE): A fund of energy companies. Linked by “oil price + prices” in this story
What this energy story puts on the calendar
BNO traded between 58.70 and 71.28 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 70.98. USO traded between 141.82 and 169.96 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 169.55. XLE traded between 60.95 and 69.72 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 69.32.
How solid “Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions” looks
40 out of 100
“Oil Prices Reach Six-Month High Amid Middle East Tensions” scores 40 out of 100. The score uses 1 sources, and 5 linked companies.