NYSE:VLO 28 February 2026 - 23 July 2026

A basket tracking three U.S. refiners in equal weights increased 10.1% last week, outperforming the S&P 500 by 11.7 percentage points. U.S. cash trading was paused for the weekend following declines on Friday. Shares of Valero Energy advanced 10.3%, Marathon Petroleum climbed 10.2%, and Phillips 66 was up 9.8%.

Renewed U.S.-Iran attacks around the Strait of Hormuz will dominate Monday’s open, but U.S. refiners look positioned to keep outperforming the broader energy sector. Valero Energy, Marathon Petroleum and Phillips 66 delivered a simple average gain of 6.0% between the July 2 and July 10 closes, compared with 3.5% for the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund. Yes, refiners can retain that lead—but only while gasoline and diesel prices continue to outrun their crude-oil costs.

Oil futures set up for a choppy start Monday as U.S. and Iranian forces launched major missile and drone attacks over the weekend. Tehran said the Strait of Hormuz was shut, but Washington said ship traffic continued. U.S. Central Command said it hit 140 Iranian military positions Saturday after attacks on merchant ships.