U.S. Oil, Defense & Tech Stocks Jump After Venezuela News, Chevron Leads Gains

U.S. oil and defense stocks saw a strong market reaction on Monday following dramatic geopolitical developments in Venezuela, where U.S. forces captured President Nicolás Maduro over the weekend. Investors responded by pushing energy shares sharply higher in premarket trading, reflecting optimism that major American oil companies could benefit from expanded access to Venezuela’s vast crude reserves and reconstruction of its oil infrastructure. Chevron (NYSE: CVX) led the gains, rising more than 7% as the largest U.S. energy firm with an established footprint in the region. Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) and ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) also climbed, while Halliburton (NYSE: HAL), an oilfield services provider, saw one of the biggest jumps, with its stock up over 10%. Investors appeared skeptical of foreign oil majors, with Shell and BP trending slightly lower. Defense stocks rose modestly, with Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, and Boeing all inching up as markets weighed the implications of U.S. military involvement in Venezuela. Tech companies tied to defense also saw slight gains; Palantir Technologies led that group with an increase near 4%. #Venezuela #OilStocks #DefenseMarket #Chevron #SlimScan #GrowthStocks #CANSLIM