Oil Sprints to a 5-Month High While Tech and Crypto Stumble

Brent crude touched $115.84 on Friday, its highest level since May, as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and fears of new U.S. strikes on Iran drove prices. Yemen’s Houthis said they hit Saudi energy targets including an Aramco site in Yanbu and the Shaybah oilfield; Aramco later ordered staff out of its Dhahran headquarters, and a Libya pipeline shutdown cut output at two fields. ING analysts cited reports that Trump was weighing fresh Iran strikes as a second U.S. carrier deployed, and called their earlier $80 fourth-quarter Brent forecast unattainable. The oil rally coincided with a tech selloff: the Nasdaq fell 2.6% on Thursday to 26,008.86, and total crypto market capitalization fell 3.74% in 24 hours to $2.76 trillion.