New York, February 27, 2026, 14:26 EST — Regular session
Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) climbed 2.46% to $152.20 as of 2:05 p.m. EST on Friday, lifted by gains across energy names tied to oil. Shares moved in a $149.25 to $152.22 band, after finishing Thursday at $148.54.
Oil jumped roughly 2% after the U.S. and Iran pushed nuclear negotiations into next week, keeping crude buyers wary of supply risks. Brent climbed $1.70 to $72.45 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate added $1.36, reaching $66.56—both at levels not seen since July and August. “The likelihood Iran is going to agree to what the Trump administration wants doesn’t seem possible,” Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group said. PVM’s Tamas Varga weighed in as well: “Uncertainty prevails, fear is pushing prices higher today.” Reuters
This month, 34 economists and analysts polled by Reuters bumped up their 2026 Brent average to $63.85 a barrel; WTI’s now penciled in at $60.38. Still, the survey pointed to a possible surplus hitting anywhere from 0.8 million up to 3.5 million barrels per day later in the year. “Oil prices are bloated with a decent geopolitical risk premium,” said Norbert Rucker at Julius Baer, referring to the added cost traders tack on when supply fears run high. Reuters
Exxon slipped 0.35% to finish at $148.54 on Thursday. Chevron was off by 0.03%, while Valero Energy picked up 2.08%. Oil-related stocks ended the session mixed. The Dow inched higher, up 0.03%. The S&P 500, though, dropped 0.54%, according to MarketWatch.
Exxon’s earnings typically track crude and natural gas, since upstream results depend on what prices actually do. Sometimes refining and chemicals pick up the slack, yet the shares still behave as a kind of oil-market barometer.
Producers across the Gulf are signaling supply is ready to backstop the market. Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC is pitching extra April Murban barrels, while Saudi Arabia is set to ramp up both production and exports, according to sources who spoke with Reuters. OPEC+ could weigh a 137,000-barrel-per-day bump for April, that same report added.
But that safety net isn’t a one-way bet for Exxon bulls. Should extra exports land ahead of schedule, or OPEC+ surprises with a larger boost, crude prices might slip, and XOM could lose some of Friday’s gains.
Headlines continue to drive the stock—company updates usually take a back seat. The tape jumps on whispers of U.S. military involvement or even the slightest suggestion of détente.
Eyes are on Sunday, March 1, for the OPEC+ gathering, with technical discussions kicking off in Vienna next week. Whichever way those meetings go, crude prices — and Exxon shares — could be steered for early March.
