New York, January 20, 2026, 12:32 EST — Regular session
- Exxon Mobil shares climbed roughly 0.8% during midday trading, defying the broader selloff in U.S. markets.
- Crude prices rose over 1% amid concerns about tariff threats and supply disruptions in Kazakhstan.
- Investors are set to focus on U.S. petroleum inventory figures due later this week alongside Exxon’s earnings report for January 30.
Exxon Mobil Corp shares climbed $1.09, or roughly 0.8%, to $130.98 by 12:16 p.m. ET on Tuesday, outperforming the broader U.S. stock market. In the same timeframe, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF slipped about 1.3%.
Investors are shifting positions ahead of a packed slate of earnings and new data on fuel demand. Exxon is set to release its fourth-quarter results on Friday, Jan. 30.
Oil prices climbed, giving energy stocks a boost despite jitters around trade news. Brent crude rose 1.33% to $64.79 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude jumped 1.62% to $60.40 by 11:45 a.m. ET, according to Reuters. The gains were attributed to a softer dollar and a temporary shutdown of key oilfields in Kazakhstan. John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital, pointed to the Greenland tensions as spurring “a generalized nervousness.” IG analyst Tony Sycamore noted that China’s recent data “provided a lift.” Reuters
Exxon faces a tricky near-term outlook: rising crude prices boost its upstream business, but the company has already flagged that last year’s dip in oil prices might drag down quarterly results. In an earlier filing, Exxon estimated that weaker crude prices could slash fourth-quarter upstream earnings by $800 million to $1.2 billion. However, stronger refining margins might help offset some of those losses. (Upstream covers oil and gas production; refining margins reflect the difference between crude costs and fuel prices.)
Peer performance varied. Chevron held steady, but ConocoPhillips slipped roughly 1.6% around midday.
The broader market felt the weight as investors absorbed fresh tariff threats linked to Washington’s dispute over Greenland, steering traders into safer assets.
Those headlines that boost crude prices on supply worries can just as easily backfire. If tariff chatter turns into actual policy and slows growth, demand forecasts could drop sharply, putting oil and related stocks at risk.
Attention now turns to inventories and demand cues. The U.S. Energy Information Administration will release its Weekly Petroleum Status Report on Thursday, Jan. 22, with updates at 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. ET, delayed by the federal holiday closure.
Exxon’s upcoming quarterly report and conference call stand as the next major event for the stock. Investors will be tuning in for fresh details on production levels, refining results, and the outlook for 2026.
