Crude oil prices eased further on Friday, September 18, 2026, extending losses for a third consecutive session. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was trading at $101.4 a barrel, down $0.50 or 0.49%, while Brent crude stood at $104.4 a barrel, down $0.38.
The modest declines come after sharper pullbacks earlier in the week. As reported by Arbiterz on September 15, prices first eased in early trading that day following a multi-day surge driven by Middle East supply fears, with WTI at $101.70 and Brent at $105.70. Subsequent sessions saw further softening, with both benchmarks remaining well above the levels recorded at the start of the previous week (WTI around $92–93 and Brent near $97).
Markets are responding to signs that immediate supply disruptions from Saudi Arabia may prove more limited than initially feared. Reports indicate progress toward restoring capacity on the East-West pipeline (damaged in recent attacks that led to suspended loadings at Yanbu), alongside Saudi offers of additional crude cargoes to Asian buyers via ship-to-ship transfers off Oman’s Sohar port. These developments have helped ease some of the tightness premium that pushed prices toward four-month highs earlier this week.
However, ongoing regional tensions including fresh exchanges between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis continue to provide underlying support, keeping both benchmarks above the psychologically important $100 level. Brent is on track for its first weekly decline in three weeks.
