Oil Price News Today
Streaming headlines on crude oil, with the live Brent and WTI price next to them so you can see how the market reacts. Below the feed is the weekly data calendar and a short guide to which headlines matter.
Brent crude headlines
WTI crude headlines
Headlines are aggregated by TradingView from third-party news providers. CrudeOilPrice.org does not write or edit them.
Scheduled oil market news: the weekly rhythm
| Day | Release | Time (ET) | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | API weekly inventory estimate | 4:30 p.m. | Crude, gasoline, distillates and Cushing changes compared with analyst estimates |
| Wednesday | EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report | 10:30 a.m. | Official stock changes, refinery utilisation, crude exports, implied product demand |
| Thursday | EIA natural gas storage | 10:30 a.m. | Energy-complex sentiment, especially in winter |
| Friday | Baker Hughes rig count | 1:00 p.m. | US oil rigs, a lead indicator of shale output |
| Friday | CFTC Commitments of Traders | 3:30 p.m. | Money-manager net length in WTI; ICE publishes Brent positioning the same day |
After US federal holidays, the API and EIA releases usually move back by one day.
Monthly reports that set the narrative
- EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO): US government forecasts for Brent, WTI, production and demand, usually published in the first half of the month.
- OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR): OPEC's demand outlook and members' output based on secondary sources. It shows who is over or under quota.
- IEA Oil Market Report (OMR): the industrialised countries' view of the global balance and inventories. It often differs from OPEC's on demand growth.
- China trade data: monthly crude imports from the world's largest importer.
How to judge whether oil news matters
Every day brings hundreds of oil headlines, and only a few change the balance of supply and demand. Before reacting to a headline, ask these questions:
- Does it change barrels? An actual outage, a quota change or a sanctions measure that is enforced changes physical supply. Statements of intent and "considering" stories usually fade.
- How many barrels, and for how long? Global demand is roughly 100–105 million barrels per day. A 200,000 b/d outage lasting a week is noise. A 2 million b/d cut sustained for months is a regime change.
- Was it expected? Markets price in consensus quickly. OPEC+ decisions often move prices on leaks days before the meeting, and the actual announcement then has little effect.
- Is spare capacity available? When OPEC+ holds several million barrels per day of spare capacity, supply scares have a limited effect. When spare capacity is thin, small outages cause large spikes.
- What does the curve say? If the price jumps but nearby spreads do not tighten, the move is usually sentiment-driven and fades. Rallies backed by widening backwardation tend to last.
2026 context: After US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on 28 February 2026, tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was effectively halted. Brent spot rose from an average of $70.89 in February to $117.29 in April (EIA), its highest monthly level since 2008. See oil prices in 2026, month by month.
Recurring news themes in the oil market
- OPEC+ quota decisions, voluntary cuts and compensation plans for over-producers
- Middle East shipping risk, including the Strait of Hormuz (about a fifth of global oil consumption passes through it) and the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea route
- Sanctions on Russian, Iranian and Venezuelan crude, and the "shadow fleet" that moves it
- US shale discipline: capital budgets, rig counts and productivity
- Chinese demand: stimulus, refinery runs, stockpiling and the shift to electric vehicles
- Central banks and the dollar: rate expectations change both demand forecasts and dollar-denominated prices
- Hurricanes in the US Gulf of Mexico from June to November, which can affect both production and refining
For the economics behind each theme, see what moves oil prices.
Oil news FAQ
Why did oil prices go up or down today?
Check the headline feeds above against the live chart. The usual causes of a sharp daily move are OPEC+ news, the Wednesday EIA inventory report, geopolitical supply risk, major economic data and moves in the US dollar.
What time is the EIA oil inventory report?
The EIA Weekly Petroleum Status Report is released on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. After a Monday federal holiday it moves to Thursday.
Do OPEC meetings always move oil prices?
Not always. Outcomes are often leaked or widely expected beforehand, so the price moves before the meeting. The biggest reactions come when OPEC+ surprises, as it did in November 2014 and in April 2023.
Related pages
What Moves Oil Prices
What moves oil prices: OPEC+, inventories, demand, spare capacity, geopolitics, the dollar, rates, speculation and the futures curve.
Brent Crude Oil Price
Current Brent crude oil price live in USD per barrel, with a real-time chart, ICE Brent contract facts and what is driving today's move.
WTI Crude Oil Price
Current WTI crude oil price live in USD per barrel, with a real-time chart, NYMEX contract facts, Cushing delivery and key US drivers.
Crude Oil Price Chart
Live crude oil price chart with Brent and WTI, from 1-minute to monthly timeframes. Includes indicators, long-term performance and a guide to reading oil charts.