Free NewsletterPro Login

Why Oil Prices Dropped So Much On Monday

A stylized illustration of a cylindrical cup with blue arrows and lines indicating a swirling or rotational motion inside the cup.
Published Mar 9, 2026
Share:
A green downward arrow on a digital screen indicates a financial decline, with icons of oil, inflation, and weak links in the background, highlighting the recent oil price drop.
Summary:

  • WTI crude surged to nearly $120 overnight before plunging more than 25% by end of day.
  • Two things turned it around: a G7 emergency meeting on reserves, and a Trump phone call.
  • Gas prices still sit at $3.49/gallon nationally — up 50 cents since the war started.

Oil has had a wild two weeks. Monday was the wildest day yet.

How It Got to $120

When futures opened Sunday night, crude was already trading above $100 per barrel for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. It kept climbing. WTI briefly touched $119.48 overnight — a roughly 32% spike in a matter of hours. The cause: Gulf Arab nations were cutting production because tankers had stopped moving through the Strait of Hormuz. With nowhere to send the oil, storage was filling up. Ships weren't willing to risk Iranian missile attacks to transit the waterway. Iran's foreign ministry made it worse Monday morning, warning that tankers in the Strait "must be very careful."

What Knocked It Down

Two things happened in quick succession. First, the Financial Times reported that G7 finance ministers were meeting to discuss a coordinated release of strategic oil reserves — potentially covering more than 400 million barrels. Oil fell from $120 to around $110 on that headline alone.

Then, just after 3:15 p.m. ET, CBS News reporter Weijia Jiang posted on X that Trump told her in a phone interview: "I think the war is very complete, pretty much. They have no navy, no communications, they've got no Air Force." WTI fell another 6%, dropping to a session low near $83.89 before settling at $94.77.

Where Things Stand

Ed Yardeni of Yardeni Research said it plainly: "This oil shock won't end until ships can sail freely through the Strait." G7 energy ministers were set to meet Tuesday morning. No reserve release was announced Monday — France said they're "not there yet." And after the close, Iran struck Bahrain's Bapco refinery for the second time in 24 hours.

Trump's words moved markets. The war isn't over yet.

Disclosure

Get Market Briefs delivered to your inbox every morning for free!

No fluff. No noise. No politics. Just finance news you can read in 5 minutes.

Blogs

April 15, 2026
What Is a Put Option? A Simple Guide for Investors
  • A put option is a contract that gives you the right to sell a stock at a set price before a set date.
  • Investors use put options to protect their portfolio against losses or to profit when they think a stock will drop.
  • The most you can lose when buying a put option is the premium you paid for the contract.
Read More
April 13, 2026
What Is Free Cash Flow? How To Find It & Why It's Important
  • Free cash flow is the cash a company has left after paying its bills and putting money back into the business.
  • Investors use free cash flow to figure out what a company is really worth - and if the stock is a good deal.
  • You can find free cash flow on a company's cash flow report, one of three key reports every public company files.
Read More
April 13, 2026
Non Taxable Income: What It Is and Why Investors Care

Non taxable income is money you earn that the IRS does not tax - like Roth IRA cash, muni bond interest, and certain investment gains. The U.S. tax code taxes workers, investors, and business owners at very different rates. Tools like Roth accounts, muni bonds, and real estate write-offs can help you keep more of what you earn.

Read More
April 11, 2026
Nasdaq Index Fund: A Beginner's Guide to Investing in the Nasdaq 100
  • A Nasdaq index fund lets you invest in the 100 biggest non-bank companies on the stock market all at once.
  • You can access the Nasdaq through index funds, mutual funds, or ETFs like QQQ - each with its own fees, trading rules, and style.
  • Picking the right Nasdaq index fund comes down to three things: who runs it, what is in it, and what it costs.
Read More
April 11, 2026
What Is Wealth? It's Not What Most People Think
  • Wealth is about owning assets that grow and pay you - not just earning a high salary.
  • In a capitalist system, there are two ways to get paid: from your labor and from your capital.
  • Building wealth takes a shift in mindset, a money system, and the habit of investing before you spend.
Read More
April 10, 2026
Micron Stock: The AI Memory Play Most Investors Are Missing
  • Micron (MU) is the only U.S. company that makes HBM chips - the short-term memory layer that AI systems need to run.
  • By early 2026, data centers were using about 70% of all memory chips made in the world, creating an 18-month backlog for new orders.
  • Micron's DRAM - or short-term memory chip - revenue jumped 69% year over year, and the company shifted away from consumer products to focus almost entirely on AI.
Read More
April 10, 2026
What Is Working Capital? What Investors Need To Know
  • Working capital is current assets minus current liabilities - it shows if a business can pay its short-term bills.
  • You find it on a company's balance sheet inside its 10-K report.
  • Changes in working capital show up on the cash flow statement and affect how much cash a business really makes.
Read More
April 9, 2026
What Is a Meme Stock? A Simple Guide for New Investors

You've probably heard the term "meme stock" thrown around on […]

Read More
April 9, 2026
Enterprise Value Formula: What It Is and How to Calculate It
  • Enterprise value (EV) shows what a company is really worth - debt and cash included - not just its stock price
  • The enterprise value formula is: Market Cap + Total Debt - Cash and Cash Equivalents
  • Investors use EV with metrics like EBITDA to compare stocks more fairly than market cap alone
Read More
April 8, 2026
Return on Equity: What It Is and How to Use It
  • Return on equity (ROE) measures how much profit a company earns for every dollar of shareholder equity
  • The formula is simple: net income divided by shareholder equity
  • A higher ROE can signal a company that is good at turning investor money into profit - but it is not the full picture
Read More
1 2 3 17
Share via
Copy link