Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) has revealed a lower-than-expected forecast for its upcoming Q4 2025 earnings report. Indeed, the recent dip in global crude oil prices has taken its toll on Exxon. As a result the company announced on January 7 that the lower prices could reduce its Q4 2025 upstream earnings by as much as $1.2 billion compared to the previous quarter. Additionally, Regulatory hurdles have stalled potential growth opportunities, while geopolitical factors and oil price volatility create uncertainty in the market.

While this could set some investors off once the full earnings report comes out, most of Wall Street is still bullish on the oil stock sector. Following the United States’ intervention in Venezuela that saw it capture President Nicholas Maduro, Venezuelan oil has all but been seized by the US. As a result, US-based oil companies like XOM saw big climbs to open the year.

In addition to these two oil players, the three largest oil-service companies — Halliburton Co., SLB Ltd, and Baker Hughes Co. — all jumped more than 5%. Other top resources with US market tracking, including Gold and Silver, are also higher, as Venezuela has a rich inventory of these assets.

Exxon (XOM) stock is up 4% on Wednesday, and a further 10% in the last five days. A lot of investment experts suggest that, as a result of the US-Venezuela situation, oil stocks could be a solid bet in 2026. Forecasts for top oil stocks like XOM and CVX remain unchanged, but with the US pretty much in charge of Venezuela’s Oil supply, those stocks could surge.