Shell’s sprawling but secretive in-house trading business is often one of its biggest profit boosters, and Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan said in March that its traders haven’t lost money in a single quarter over the past decade. Yet recent price swings have been hard to navigate, with crude whipsawed by US President Donald Trump’s trade war, OPEC+ policy and Israel’s attacks on Iran.
Crude has slid since Trump took office on concerns that his global trade war will dent economic growth and slow energy demand. Adding to the bearishness, OPEC+ has decided to revive idled output faster than expected. Already, the drop in oil prices is spurring American shale producers to cut spending in the Permian Basin.