Dow closes at record high as stocks climb after U.S.’s Venezuela operation
U.S. stocks finished higher on Monday, with the Dow...
U.S. stocks finished higher on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending at a fresh record, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite also logged strong gains to kick off the first full trading week of the new year.
The Dow rose nearly 600 points, or 1.2%, to end near 48,977, according to preliminary data from FactSet. It was the first record close of 2026 for the blue-chip index, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
The S&P 500 was up 0.6%, to end at around 6,902.
The Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.7%, to finish at around 23,395.
A handful of energy, financials and consumer stocks — lifted by a sudden U.S. military operation over the weekend that captured Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro — led the gains on Wall Street, while gold and silver prices also surged on safe-haven demand.
The S&P 500's energy sector was up 2.7%, while its financials sector rose 2.2% and the consumer-discretionary sector climbed 1.9%, according to FactSet data.
Energy stocks climb as investors gauge events in Venezuela
Shares in the oil sector were flying on Monday, led by...
Shares in the oil sector were flying on Monday, led by Chevron and ConocoPhillips, as investors scrambled to assess what the capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, could mean for the industry.
While fresh geopolitical headlines appeared to have little impact on U.S. stocks or crude, the big oil names were moving as some investors gauged future access to oil reserves in the country.
Oil services companies are also moving higher. Analysts said those companies could benefit from investment in the country and an increase in Venezuela’s oil output.
“Even the attempt to restart Venezuela is service-intensive — broken fields, broken pipes, broken facilities. That’s why the first trade can be bullish for oil services and infrastructure names (the guys who get paid to rebuild the machine), even if you’re bearish long-term oil prices,” said Matthew Tuttle, chief executive of Tuttle Capital Management.
The Energy Information Administration’s latest Short Term Energy Outlook signals a turning point for U.S. crude: production is projected to average 13.5 million barrels per day in 2026, about 100,000 barrels per day lower than 2025, ending a four-year run of annual gains. The forecast reflects global supply growth near 1.3 million barrels per day, slightly ahead of demand growth around 1.1 million barrels per day, a setup that supports higher inventories and softer prices.
The Permian Basin, which has been the primary engine of U.S. tight oil growth, is expected to contribute little incremental oil in 2026. EIA projects Permian crude output rising only from 6.54 million barrels per day in 2025 to 6.56 million in 2026, with gains in Alaska and offshore offset by declines elsewhere. Recent regional data through October 2025 show Permian oil down year over year while gas is up, reinforcing a continued shift toward gassier production.
In its outlook, the agency forecasts weaker oil pricing, with West Texas Intermediate averaging $51 in 2026, down from about $65 in 2025. Henry Hub natural gas is expected to average roughly $4 per MMBtu next year, easing after winter strength.
‘Landman’ TV Show Spurs TCU to Launch Land Management Course
Interest in land...
Interest in land management is rising amid attention from the TV series Landman, prompting Texas Christian University’s Neeley School of Business to pilot an eight-week undergraduate seminar on Land Management and Land Administration led by energy finance professor Tom Seng. After an informal survey drew early interest, 26 students enrolled, and Seng is recruiting practicing land professionals to guest lecture and help students understand core topics aligned with American Association of Petroleum Landmen certifications. Seng says the program aims to correct misconceptions about the job, highlight the economics of a career, and better prepare students for internships in a field facing an aging workforce. The course frames modern land work as increasingly technical and digitized, spanning mineral acquisitions and divestitures, quasi-legal lease interpretation, multi-state land system differences, title work, and right-of-way issues tied to midstream development.
Canadian oil companies are the big losers from Trump’s Venezuelan maneuvers
Scanning the markets for winners and losers from this...
Scanning the markets for winners and losers from this weekend’s regime change in Caracas, investors have identified one category of shares set to lose out: Canadian oil producers.
The most widely-traded in this sector with U.S. listings of Canadian Natural Resources, Suncor Energy, and Cenovus Energy, all of which have slumped in pre-market trading on Monday. While U.S. energy stocks are benefiting from what’s perceived to be a huge opportunity for a bonanza in Venezuela, the ramifications for Canadian producers are less propitious.
Canadian oil companies tend to produce a heavy, sour crude, mostly from tar sands in Alberta, requiring a lot of refining. Because of this, it traded at a significant discount in the U.S. This was before the possibility of this sudden advent of Venezuelan crude becoming available on the American market also, and now competing with the Canadian product. Venezuelan crude, mostly drilled in the Orinoco Belt, is also thick and viscous and so will provide direct competition.
