Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Attacks Combine with Russian Supply Disruptions
Russia's Sheskharis terminal at Novorossiysk went offline after a drone strike, one of several supply disruptions that widened risks for oil prices on Friday.
The terminal is Russia's key export outlet and the outage may not last long. However, Middle East flows are already constrained, and a Russian disruption combined with Hormuz attacks gave buyers another reason to hold crude through the weekend.
OPEC cut its 2026 demand-growth forecast again this week, while the IEA sees demand declining next year, both agencies revising in the same direction. U.S. commercial crude stocks posted their largest weekly increase in more than three and a half years, with higher diesel and gasoline costs hitting trucking companies, airlines, and manufacturers.
The supply risk is now stronger than it was on Thursday morning, with Washington's next measure and the next vessel count setting the near-term tone. Another attack or further drop in tanker traffic could keep the premium in both benchmarks.