Chain, Crude & Chips: October 13, 2026
Oil, bitcoin and AI chips in three short updates.
Chain, Crude & Chips · Tuesday, October 13, 2026 · 5:00 PM ET
Crude: Brent slips, WTI edges up
December Brent fell 0.9% to $105.69 a barrel after three sessions of gains, while November WTI edged up 0.4% to $94.14, per MarketWatch. Both had been down more than 2% early. MarketWatch cites Kpler data showing Strait of Hormuz flows fell sharply late last week, and says OPEC cut its 2026 oil demand growth estimate to 180,000 barrels a day from 380,000. New York diesel futures rose 4.5% to $4.9344 a gallon. WSJ said analysts at ING think the US-Russia diesel deal would do little to ease tightness in diesel-type fuels. See our morning oil story.
Chain: bitcoin holds above $83,000
Investing.com had bitcoin at $83,606.53 at 10:24 AM ET, up 1.35%, after a dip to just under $81,000 the night before. CoinDesk reported it climbing back above $83,000, decoupling from the slide in Korean chip stocks. Both outlets tied the bounce to demand holding up while chip stocks fell. Levels vary by source and time.
Chips: fifth straight down day
Reuters had the Philadelphia chip index down 1.5% in the morning, a fifth straight loss and its lowest in about four weeks, with Micron down 4.5% and Western Digital and Seagate down about 6%. Applied Materials fell about 7% after its investor day (Investing.com, 24/7 Wall St.): our story. Tonight's Dusk Ledger has the close.