Brent crude oil breaks above $105 again! How to seize the long opportunity window for crude oil on Gate TradFi?

On April 13, 2026, the international crude oil market experienced intense volatility. WTI crude oil futures surged by 9.08 intraday, closing at $105.339 per barrel; Brent crude oil futures increased by 8.69%, closing at $103.472 per barrel.

The immediate trigger came from the Middle East. On April 12 local time, the U.S. Central Command issued a statement saying that, according to the presidential announcement, the U.S. military will implement a blockade on all maritime traffic entering and leaving Iranian ports starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Time on April 13. This move directly threatens the shipping safety of the world’s most important oil transit route—the Strait of Hormuz. As a vital passage for about 20% of global seaborne crude oil, any disruption of this strait would cause a huge shock to global energy supplies.

The core drivers behind this round of oil price surge

Behind the break above $105, is a concentrated outbreak of geopolitical risks and a deep rift in the global crude oil supply system.

First, the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked. Since late February, when the full-scale escalation of conflicts between the U.S., Israel, and Iran began, the shipping safety in the Strait of Hormuz has been under continuous threat. By the end of March, the daily throughput of crude oil through the strait plummeted by nearly 90%, with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and five other countries involuntarily reducing production by over 9 million barrels per day. Brent spot prices once broke through $140 per barrel, reaching a new high since 2008.

Second, Russia’s export capacity has been impaired. Beyond Middle Eastern conflicts, ongoing attacks on Russian ports and refineries in Ukraine have further tightened supply. Industry sources say Russia’s oil export capacity has decreased by about 1 million barrels per day, accounting for one-fifth of total export capacity, with production cuts imminent. The Baltic Sea port Ust-Luga has been forced to suspend oil exports, and Russia’s oil pipeline network has been “blocked” by crude oil.

Third, signals of increased production are hard to realize. On April 5, OPEC+ major oil-producing countries announced a continued increase of 206k barrels per day in May, but analysts generally believe that as long as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the increase plan is just on paper—countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which already face export difficulties, cannot ship out the additional production.

Under the superimposed triple shocks, the global crude oil market’s supply gap has been pushed to an extreme level. It is estimated that the current daily market gap is 12 to 15 million barrels, about 15% of global supply. JPMorgan warns that if the supply disruption continues into mid-May, oil prices could hit a new record high of over $150.

What’s next for oil prices?

Although in early April, the U.S. and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire agreement, which temporarily caused a nearly 20% single-day drop in oil prices, the agreement has not yet been fully implemented, and the Strait of Hormuz has quickly closed again. The core of the current oil price game is: geopolitical events never happen during trading hours, and the reality of supply disruptions is accumulating day by day.

CICC Futures analysis believes that if U.S.-Iran negotiations fail and military conflicts escalate again, Brent crude could still break through $120 and challenge the $130–$160 range within the next 3-5 months. Goldman Sachs also pointed out that if the ceasefire cannot be maintained and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is delayed by a month, the average Brent price could surge to $115. In summary: short-term oil prices are unlikely to return to calm, and wide fluctuations will become the norm.

How to go long on crude oil via Gate TradFi?

For crypto users, traditional crude oil trading channels are extremely high barriers—opening offshore futures accounts, filling out complex W-8BEN forms, exchanging fiat currency, and cross-border remittances, often taking more than a week before trading can begin. Gate TradFi has completely broken down this barrier.

Transfer USDT to the TradFi sub-account

Log in to the Gate App or Web, go to the Gate TradFi section, and transfer USDT from the main account to the TradFi sub-account. The system will automatically convert it to USDx at a 1:1 ratio, without selling USDT or exchanging fiat currency, enabling you to open a position in less than a minute from decision to execution.

Select crude oil trading instruments

Gate TradFi offers two major crude oil benchmark perpetual contracts:

• XBRUSDT (Brent Crude Oil Perpetual Contract): The international benchmark, covering about two-thirds of global oil pricing, more sensitive to Middle East developments and the dynamics of the Strait of Hormuz, suitable for capturing geopolitical risk-driven trends.
• XTIUSDT (WTI Crude Oil Perpetual Contract): The U.S. benchmark, more sensitive to inventory changes in North America.

Both instruments are settled in USDT, support long and short operations, with leverage up to 100x.

Capture long opportunities and manage risks

Currently, oil prices are in the stage of escalating geopolitical conflicts, with prices breaking above $105 and market sentiment extremely exuberant. For long strategies, it is recommended to focus on:

• Following the trend: In a clear upward trend, adopt trend-following strategies to gradually build positions, combined with stop-profit and stop-loss settings to lock in profits.
• Monitoring key catalysts: Future developments in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S.-Iran negotiations, and whether the U.S. will further tighten sanctions on Iran will be key variables influencing oil prices.
• Strict leverage management: High leverage means high volatility. Gate TradFi supports setting stop-loss orders; it is recommended to define risk exposure limits before opening each position.

Trade 24/7

The biggest advantage of Gate TradFi is 24/7 continuous trading. Traditional crude oil futures only trade during specific hours on weekdays, with weekends and holidays closed. But geopolitical events never follow trading hours—military escalation announcements can be made at any time. Gate’s perpetual oil contracts allow you to open or close positions anytime, never missing any market turning points.

Summary

On April 13, 2026, the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports pushed WTI crude above $105 and Brent above $103, with geopolitical risk premiums soaring again. Continuous disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, impaired Russian exports, and the difficulty of implementing OPEC+ production increase signals, combined with triple supply shocks, mean oil prices still have room to rise further.

To go long on crude oil via Gate TradFi, just three steps: transfer USDT, choose XBRUSDT or XTIUSDT, and set stop-profit and stop-loss before opening a position. With 24/7 trading, up to 100x leverage, and USDT settlement, Gate TradFi provides a convenient and efficient trading tool whether for short-term breakout capture or medium-term geopolitical premium positioning.