Oil prices rose Thursday as fears grew of a wider Middle East conflict after reports that the U.S. may resume strikes on Iran. Brent crude gained 1.71% to $110.67 a barrel, while WTI rose 1.42% to $98.53. According to The New York Times, U.S. and Israeli militaries have drawn up plans for a “short but intensive” operation against Iran after the midterm elections. The U.S. has ordered non-emergency government staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, a order a State Department spokesman said applies only to that country, citing increasing Houthi attacks on civilian targets. David Wagner of Aptus Capital Advisors argues the economic impact of high oil may be milder than in past decades, as gasoline now takes about half the share of disposable income it did a decade ago, when it was roughly 5%.
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Related tickers and likely impact
XAU/USD
▲ Likely positiveRelevance: high
| Market | Gold |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 4,141.17 |
| Change that session | +0.39% |
PAXG/USDT
▲ Likely positivePAX Gold
Relevance: medium
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Real-world assets |
| Market cap | $1.8B |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 4,128.04 |
| Change that session | +0.14% |
XAUT/USDT
▲ Likely positiveTether Gold
Relevance: medium
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Real-world assets |
| Market cap | $3.4B |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 4,124.64 |
| Change that session | +0.20% |
QQQ
▼ Likely negativeInvesco QQQ Trust
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 725.21 |
| Change that session | +1.06% |
SPY
▼ Likely negativeSPDR S&P 500 ETF
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 773.13 |
| Change that session | +0.53% |
BTC/USDT
▼ Likely negativeBitcoin
Relevance: low
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $1.6T |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 84,093.42 |
| Change that session | +1.28% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
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