Goldman Sachs Raises Oil Price Forecasts on Protracted Middle East Shipping Disruptions

10:26 - 8.09.2026


September 8, Fineko/abc.az. Goldman Sachs has upgraded its crude oil price forecasts for December 2026 and 2027 by $5 per barrel, citing new baseline assumptions that shipping disruptions in the Middle East will persist into next year. In a research note co-authored by Daan Struyven, the bank raised its December 2026 Brent forecast to $85/bbl and its 2027 average to $80/bbl. WTI projections were similarly adjusted to $80/bbl for December 2026 and $75/bbl for 2027.

The modest nature of the upward revision reflects the resiliency of onshore OECD commercial inventories, which have experienced minimal drawdowns since the conflict began, signaling a smaller physical supply deficit than previously feared.

Goldman Sachs analysts project that Middle Eastern physical supply will progressively adapt to shipping hurdles through the expansion of shadow-fleet logistics and the commissioning of new pipeline bypasses by late 2027.