What Happened?
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after crude oil dropped to its lowest level since the start of the Iran war, as tankers resumed transit through the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. and Iran signaled progress toward ending the conflict.
The S&P 500 energy index fell about 2.45%, the weakest major sector even as the broader market held roughly flat. Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) each fell in the ~2–2.5% range (exact figures vary by source). The more oil-price-sensitive explorers and producers were hit harder as Occidental (OXY), ConocoPhillips (COP), Devon (DVN) and APA Corp all fell roughly 2.5–3.5%. Oilfield-services names (Halliburton, SLB) and refiners (Valero, Phillips 66, Marathon Petroleum) slipped about 1.5–2.5%. WTI fell about 4% to near $70 and Brent about 4% to near $74,the lowest since February 27, the day before U.S.–Israeli strikes on Iran, leaving crude down roughly 40% from its wartime peak.
The driver was physical and visible: tankers openly crossing Hormuz with transponders on, the IMO citing safety guarantees, and the IEA estimating the UAE exporting near 85% of pre-war levels. Separately, Trump ordered a DOJ probe into why pump prices "haven't fallen faster," accusing oil companies of gouging.
The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.
Among others, the following stocks were impacted:
- U.S. Shale E&P company Chord Energy (NASDAQ: CHRD) fell 3.9%. Is now the time to buy Chord Energy? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
- Oilfield Services company Atlas Energy Solutions (NYSE: AESI) fell 5.6%. Is now the time to buy Atlas Energy Solutions? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
Zooming In On Atlas Energy Solutions (AESI)
Atlas Energy Solutions’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 35 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.
The previous big move we wrote about was 15 days ago when the stock dropped 5.4% after Trump said a US-Iran deal could come in "two or three days," pulling energy equities sharply lower as investors priced out the conflict premium.
That narrative collapsed at midday when US Central Command confirmed an American Apache helicopter had gone down near the coast of Oman, and Trump said the US "must respond" to what he described as an Iranian attack over the Strait of Hormuz.
Rather than a clean reversal, the helicopter incident created deeper uncertainty for the sector.
Atlas Energy Solutions is up 59.6% since the beginning of the year, but at $15.52 per share, it is still trading 21.4% below its 52-week high of $19.75 from May 2026. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Atlas Energy Solutions’s shares at the IPO in March 2023 would now be looking at an investment worth $915.34.
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