Crude prices edge lower as Maduro overthrow casts uncertainty over oil-rich Venezuela

Crude lipid prices edged lower Sunday, arsenic the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro by the Trump medication has formed heavy uncertainty implicit oil-rich Venezuela.

U.S. crude oil fell 31 cents, oregon 0.54%, to $57.01 per barrel. Global benchmark Brent fell 22 cents, oregon 0.36%, to $60.53 per barrel.

President Donald Trump made it wide Saturday that U.S. concern successful Venezuela's lipid assemblage is simply a cardinal nonsubjective of the authorities alteration cognition that ousted Maduro.

"We're going to person our precise ample United States lipid companies — the biggest anyplace successful the satellite — spell in, walk billions of dollars, hole the severely breached infrastructure, the lipid infrastructure," Trump said successful a property conference from his Mar-a-Lago residence successful Palm Beach, Florida.

The president said Saturday that the U.S. embargo of Venezuelan lipid remains successful place.

Venezuela, a founding subordinate of OPEC, sits connected the largest proven crude lipid reserves successful the satellite astatine 303 cardinal barrels oregon astir 17% of the planetary total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Caracas produced astir 3.5 cardinal barrels per time astatine its highest successful the precocious 1990s, but output has declined importantly since then, according to vigor consulting steadfast Kpler. The South American federation is presently producing astir 800,000 bpd, Kpler information shows.

Chevron is the lone U.S. lipid large operating successful Venezuela. It was exporting astir 140,000 bpd astatine the extremity of the 4th fourth of 2025, according to Kpler.

The interaction of Maduro's overthrow connected lipid prices is ambiguous successful the abbreviated run, said Daan Struyven, caput of lipid probe astatine Goldman Sachs. Production could borderline higher if a U.S.-supported authorities is installed and the Trump medication lifts sanctions against Venezuela, Struveyn told clients successful a Sunday note.

But Maduro's ouster could besides pb to proviso disruptions successful the abbreviated term, the expert said. Long term, U.S. concern that boosts Venezuelan accumulation would enactment downward unit connected lipid prices, Struvyven said. A betterment of production, however, volition apt beryllium gradual and partial, helium said.

Oil executives operating successful Venezuela accidental it volition outgo $10 cardinal annually to crook accumulation astir and a unchangeable information situation is indispensable to turn accumulation backmost to historical levels, said Helima Croft, caput of planetary commodity strategy astatine RBC Capital Markets.

Full sanctions alleviation could bring respective 100 1000 barrels of accumulation backmost implicit a 12-month play if determination is an orderly modulation of power, Croft told clients successful a Saturday note.

"However, each bets are disconnected successful a chaotic alteration of powerfulness script similar what occurred successful Libya oregon Iraq," she said.