EL7.AI
CommoditiesMedium•22 October 2026•
3 min read

Nasdaq Futures Fall 1.6% as Shipping and Oil Supply Risks Persist

Key Facts

1Nasdaq futures fell 1.6% to 29517.25 points at 06:55 GMT in Thursday trading.
2U.S. crude inventories fell 3.1 million barrels in the week ended October 16, more than expected.
3The Energy Information Administration forecast Brent would average $105 in the final quarter of 2026, up $14 from its previous forecast.
4The euro zone economic expectations index fell to 18.5 points in October, down 7.3 points from the previous month.
5Saudi Arabia's energy ministry confirmed that an attempted attack on a facility at the Shaybah field had not affected operations.

Nasdaq futures fell 1.6% in Thursday trading as risks to oil shipping persisted and energy costs rose, prompting warnings from the Centre for European Economic Research. Futures stood at 29517.25 points at 06:55 GMT, according to a report published by Investing.com. In the oil market, the website said in a separate report published on Thursday that U.S. crude inventories fell by about 3.1 million barrels. The decline covered the week ended October 16 and was larger than expected, according to the report. The inventory draw coincided with risks to shipping, with Reuters citing Kpler as saying there had been reports of attacks on at least 18 ships over two weeks. Kpler said in the note cited in the Reuters report published on October 20 that this "keeps the risk premium in place".

In Saudi Arabia, the energy ministry said an attempted attack on a facility at the Shaybah field had not affected operations, Asharq News reported. The ministry said a drone that attempted to target the facility had been intercepted. A fire broke out "outside the facility's perimeter, with no impact on operations", according to the ministry's description of the incident. The attempted attack killed two residents, one Filipino and one Nepali, according to the statement carried by Asharq. Two other residents, one Pakistani and one Indian, were injured. The targeted facility is at a field with total production capacity of one million barrels per day, according to Aramco, which lists that capacity on its Shaybah project page.

For comparison with earlier trading during the month, Reuters reported in early October that the December Brent contract settled at $102.31 a barrel. The contract rose 4.37% in that session, according to the report published via Investing.com. The December contract had by then become the front-month contract, according to Reuters. In its latest price forecast, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projected in its October report that spot Brent would average $105 a barrel in the final quarter of 2026. The agency raised its estimate for that average by $14 a barrel from the previous month's forecast.

In the euro zone, economic expectations weakened in October, according to the release from the Centre for European Economic Research. The institute's economic expectations index stood at 18.5 points, down 7.3 points from the previous month's reading. The index remained positive despite falling from September, according to figures released by the institute. Its president, Achim Wambach, linked higher energy prices to increased burdens on production. He said these prices "increase production costs and keep inflation elevated for longer", placing persistent price pressures alongside weaker economic expectations in the region.

Attention in the euro zone is turning to the European Central Bank's monetary policy meeting, scheduled to conclude on October 29, 2026. The bank's official calendar lists Frankfurt as the venue. That date marks the final day of the Governing Council's monetary policy meeting. A press conference follows the meeting, according to the schedule published by the ECB. The meeting comes after the decline in October's economic expectations index and the institute president's warning about energy's impact on production costs and persistent inflation.