New York, January 23, 2026, 20:39 EST — The market has closed.
Shares of Chevron (CVX) closed Friday slightly higher, up 0.04% at $166.72. The company confirmed oil production at Kazakhstan’s massive Tengiz field remains offline after a fire forced a shutdown, highlighting ongoing supply concerns that could influence crude prices. (Reuters)
Chevron faces a tricky balance on Monday. Rising oil prices could boost upstream cash flow, but a prolonged outage at a key asset risks cutting volumes. Throw in a U.S. winter storm and new legal developments, and traders will be juggling more than just crude when the market opens.
Oil prices closed at their highest level in over a week on Friday, following U.S. sanctions targeting ships and companies that transport Iranian oil. The U.S. also announced a deployment of warships to the Middle East. Brent crude ended the day at $65.88 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate finished at $61.07. (Reuters)
Chevron’s update on Tengiz highlights two bottlenecks in Kazakhstan. The government has launched a commission to probe the incident, while Tengizchevroil, the operator, declared force majeure on CPC Blend shipments, Reuters reports. (Reuters)
Winter storm Fern is forecast to bring freezing conditions across much of the U.S. through Monday, potentially forcing crude production shut-ins near 300,000 barrels per day, analysts say. “There is the potential for a surge in distillate demand,” noted oil analyst Tom Kloza, pointing to diesel and heating fuel needs. (Reuters)
Chevron is now grappling with fresh legal trouble. On Friday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel launched an antitrust lawsuit targeting BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Shell, and the American Petroleum Institute. The suit accuses them of colluding to block competition from renewables and electric vehicles. Chevron’s attorney, Theodore Boutrous Jr., dismissed the case as baseless and argued it overlooks Michigan’s dependence on oil and gas. (Reuters)
The risk case is complicated. Should Tengiz remain offline longer than anticipated, volume losses could surface swiftly, while a drop in crude prices would simultaneously chip away at any buffer. Conversely, supply shocks might ease quickly if repairs progress or geopolitical tensions cool off.
For the moment, the near-term trade boils down to oil prices and the latest snippets on Kazakhstan’s restart schedule, along with outages in the U.S. caused by weather. Legal battles usually drag on, but on days when energy stocks are shaky, they can still weigh on sentiment.
Chevron is set to report its quarterly earnings during a conference call on Friday, January 30, at 11:00 a.m. ET. CEO Mike Wirth and CFO Eimear Bonner will lead the discussion. (Investing News Network (INN))
