Geopolitics Alpha

Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas

Published . Updated .

Publicly traded companies represent a tiny share of the total number of companies producing crude oil and natural gas in the United States, but they make up a large share of U.S. production. In 2025, publicly traded companies accounted for just 2% of about 12,000 oil and natural gas producers but produced 68% of the crude oil and natural gas in the Lower 48 states.

Directly affected

  • No company is named in this report.

Indirectly affected

  • XOM Exxon Mobil

    Oil producers earn more when crude prices rise

  • CVX Chevron

    Oil producers earn more when crude prices rise

  • OXY Occidental Petroleum

    Oil producers earn more when crude prices rise

  • COP ConocoPhillips

    Oil producers earn more when crude prices rise

  • VLO Valero

    Refiners' profits move with crude and fuel prices

  • MPC Marathon Petroleum

    Refiners' profits move with crude and fuel prices

  • XOP SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration

    A fund of oil and gas producers

  • XLE Energy Select Sector SPDR

    A fund of energy companies

  • USO United States Oil Fund

    This fund moves with oil prices

  • OIH VanEck Oil Services

    Oilfield services rise when drilling follows oil prices

Price reaction, T-5 to T+3

TickerT-5T-3T-1T0T+1T+2T+3
XOM———————
CVX———————
OXY———————
COP———————
VLO———————
MPC———————
XOP———————
XLE———————
USO———————
OIH———————

United States Oil Fund (USO) since this story, compared with the market

Since the first closing price after “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas,” United States Oil Fund (USO) is +8.05%. The S&P 500 fund (SPY) is -0.17% over the same days, a +8.22% difference versus the market. energy stocks (XLE) is +8.69%, a -0.64% difference versus that group of stocks.

USO
SPY
XLE

Disclosure records for United States Oil Fund (USO) within two months of 22 Sep 2026

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).

Companies in energy around United States Oil Fund (USO)

Companies mentioned with this story

  • USO United States Oil Fund

    In “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas,” United States Oil Fund (USO) is linked, with no stored direction, high confidence. Reason on file: Oil-supply or crude-price developments can transmit through WTI/Brent proxies and energy producer earnings expectations

  • BNO United States Brent Oil Fund

    In “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas,” United States Brent Oil Fund (BNO) is linked, with no stored direction, high confidence. Reason on file: Oil-supply or crude-price developments can transmit through WTI/Brent proxies and energy producer earnings expectations

  • XLE Select Sector Spdr Tr

    In “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas,” Select Sector Spdr Tr (XLE) is linked, with no stored direction, high confidence. Reason on file: Oil-supply or crude-price developments can transmit through WTI/Brent proxies and energy producer earnings expectations

  • XOP State Street Spdr S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Etf

    For “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas,” State Street Spdr S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production Etf (XOP) is linked, with no stored direction, high confidence. Reason on file: Oil-supply or crude-price developments can transmit through WTI/Brent proxies and energy producer earnings expectations

  • NGS Natural Gas Services Group

    For “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas,” Natural Gas Services Group (NGS) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: GA selected NGS as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: natural gas, natural. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article

  • UNG United States Natural Gas Fund

    United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 22 Sep 2026 story “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas.” Reason on file: Natural-gas or LNG supply changes can transmit through gas pricing and energy-sector cash flows

  • AEIS Advanced Energy Industries

    In “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas,” Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence. Reason on file: GA selected AEIS as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: energy. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article

  • AMPY Amplify Energy

    Amplify Energy (AMPY) is linked, with no stored direction, medium confidence in the 22 Sep 2026 story “Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas.” Reason on file: GA selected AMPY as a RELATED security because its canonical security name directly matches this event's themes: energy. This is an explainable DERIVED market relationship, not a claim that the security was named in the source article

United States Oil Fund (USO) and the energy link

“Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas” (22 Sep 2026) reaches United States Oil Fund (USO) through Energy.

What ties United States Oil Fund (USO) to the headline is this: Oil-supply or crude-price developments can transmit through WTI/Brent proxies and energy producer earnings expectations

United States Brent Oil Fund (BNO) is here too. Its reason reads: Oil-supply or crude-price developments can transmit through WTI/Brent proxies and energy producer earnings expectations

Dates in the story, and the United States Oil Fund (USO) price range

BNO traded between 57.39 and 67.79 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 67.10. USO traded between 141.82 and 162.99 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 160.80. XLE traded between 60.95 and 68.51 across 20 sessions. The latest close on file is 67.80.

What the saved facts support for United States Oil Fund (USO)

100 out of 100

“Public companies produce most U.S. crude oil and natural gas” scores 100 out of 100. The score uses 11 linked companies.