Exxon, Chevron Post Record $26.5B Q2 Profit Amid Fuel Crunch
Major Bakken operators steer windfall toward debt reduction as Washington probes high gasoline prices.
ExxonMobil and Chevron reported a combined $26.5 billion in second-quarter profit, driven by high production and soaring refining margins amid a global fuel crunch, according to OilPrice.com. The results are drawing political scrutiny with implications for all U.S. producers, including those in the Bakken.
Chevron reported a record net income of $12.2 billion, nearly five times its year-ago profit. Exxon earned $14.5 billion, double its Q2 2025 result and its best performance since the oil price spike following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, OilPrice.com reported. The companies attributed the windfall to producing more oil, refining more fuel, and selling into a market scrambled by war in the Middle East.
For Bakken operators and royalty owners, the financial strength of these majors signals robust market conditions for crude. Chevron's global production reached 4 million barrels of oil equivalent per day, helped by its acquisition of Hess, a major Bakken player. Its U.S. output hit a record 2 million barrels per day. Exxon produced 4.5 million bpd globally, with its Permian output also reaching a record.
However, the focus is shifting from crude oil prices to refined products. Exxon CFO Neil Hansen said the bigger price problem is "no longer crude. It is the shrinking availability of the products made from it," OilPrice.com reported. Chevron's refining profit jumped to $4.9 billion from $737 million a year earlier, while Exxon's refining business earned $5.5 billion after a loss in the first quarter.
Despite the profits, the companies are not signaling a major shift toward shareholder returns via buybacks. A Rigzone summary reported that both Exxon and Chevron plowed their blowout profits into debt reduction rather than huge buyback increases. This conservative financial strategy may indicate a focus on balance sheet strength amid market volatility.
The results have drawn the ire of the White House. President Donald Trump, who wants gasoline at $2.25 per gallon while the national average sits at $4.11, has ordered a Justice Department investigation into alleged price gouging, OilPrice.com reported. An export ban is also being discussed. Chevron warned that restricting exports would discourage investment and eventually leave the market with less supply—a policy that could directly impact Bakken crude flows.
The current price environment stems from a tight fuel market. The Iran war sent crude prices higher after Gulf production fell and tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz collapsed, exacerbating refinery outages and lost Russian capacity, according to OilPrice.com.
Source
OilPrice.com, Rigzone
