• Brent (December) settled near $104.72 and WTI (November) near $91.85 on 9 October, each up about 0.4%, per Bloomberg via Rigzone (time-stamped 4:28 PM EST).
• The EIA reported about 1.3 million barrels a day of Gulf of Mexico crude shut in as of 8 October; Bloomberg separately cited roughly 72% of output. The desk does not reconcile the two.
• Dated Brent was reported above $135 on Thursday, its highest since April, which points to prompt physical tightness beyond what futures show.
• Saudi Aramco reportedly told European refiners it will supply all the crude they requested for November, after allocating none the previous month. A stated allocation is not a loaded cargo.
• The tanker attacks are reported by Bloomberg and not independently confirmed here. Nothing in this piece is a trading call.

Crude rose modestly on Friday 9 October 2026, but the small move sat on top of two overlapping supply worries. According to Bloomberg reporting carried by Rigzone and time-stamped 4:28 PM EST, Brent (December) settled near $104.72 a barrel and WTI (November) near $91.85, each up about 0.4%. The report names fresh tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz and Hurricane Isaias as the drivers. The desk reads the day as a test of how much disruption a tight physical market can absorb.

Prices: a small move after a big day

Brent (December) settled near $104.72 a barrel and WTI (November) near $91.85, each up about 0.4%, according to Bloomberg reporting carried by Rigzone and time-stamped 4:28 PM EST on Friday 9 October 2026. The article says Brent had surged more than 4% on Thursday. The desk did not locate an exchange settlement record in the sources reviewed, so these are restated figures, not primary price data. Dated Brent, the physical benchmark, was reported above $135 on Thursday, its highest since April, as European refiners competed for supply.

Isaias: EIA volumes versus Bloomberg's share

The EIA reported about 1.3 million barrels a day of crude oil shut in, and 130 production platforms and rigs evacuated or moved, as of Thursday 8 October, citing federal offshore regulator data. The EIA page gives no percentage share. Bloomberg, via Rigzone, separately says producers have shut in roughly 72% of crude output. The two figures use different framing and dates, so the desk shows both and does not reconcile them. Only Bloomberg cites nearly 500,000 barrels a day of refining capacity in or near the projected path.

Hormuz: reported attacks, reported freight costs

Bloomberg reports that futures rallied this week after fresh tanker attacks by Iran raised risks for vessels in the Strait of Hormuz; the desk has no independent confirmation of the incidents. The same report says freight costs hit records and that moving crude from the Persian Gulf to East Asia costs more than six times its pre-conflict level. JPMorgan is quoted saying ship-to-ship transfers can take up to 10 days. These are reported cost estimates, and the source does not prove the attacks alone drove the price move.

NOC Watch: Aramco's November allocation

Bloomberg reports that Saudi Aramco told European refiners it will supply all the crude they requested for November, after telling the same customers last month they would be allocated none. The desk treats this as a stated allocation, not a delivered cargo; loadings will show whether it holds. Our reading, an inference rather than an Aramco statement, is that Riyadh is easing a squeeze visible in Dated Brent above $135. Aramco's own announcement was not among the sources reviewed.

What to watch next

This piece was prepared on 12 October, after the storm's expected landfall of late Friday or early Saturday. The sources reviewed predate that, so the desk does not report the outcome. Check EIA and offshore regulator updates for restart pace and refinery status. Also watch whether Aramco's November volumes load as stated, and whether further tanker incidents near Hormuz are confirmed. Pepperstone's Chris Weston called it a two-way market where geopolitical risk premium competes with improving physical supply. This is analysis, not advice, and carries no trading call.