What triggered the acceleration: The bank attributed the EV surge to the price spike from the Strait of Hormuz disruption, which made gasoline far more expensive and pushed consumers toward electric vehicles at a faster rate than previously expected .
Global EV market share data cited:
Demand reduction estimates:
Goldman Sachs progressively lowered its Brent crude price forecasts through June 2026:
Key rationale for the second cut: The U.S.-Iran interim agreement, announced by President Trump, lifted the naval blockade and began reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Goldman accelerated its assumed timeline for Persian Gulf export recovery by one month — to end-July 2026 instead of end-August — bringing forward a wave of previously locked-out supply . The bank noted that in April 2026, before the deal, it had warned Brent could hit $130/bbl if the strait never fully reopened; the peace deal effectively eliminated that tail risk
.
Goldman identified two durable structural drags that will persist even after the Hormuz crisis fully resolves:
China's EV-led demand destruction: The bank noted that China's accelerating shift to electric vehicles has created a "structural drag" on oil demand estimated at around half a million barrels per day on the demand baseline into 2027 . One analyst wrote that EV penetration in China "keeps a structural drag" that does not reverse
.
'Just over 10%' of demand damage sticks: Goldman assumed that just over 10% of the temporary demand weakness caused by the price spike would be permanent — meaning consumer behavior changes (EV adoption, efficiency gains, modal shifts) will not snap back even after prices fall .
Market surplus projection: The bank projected a 3.2 million bpd surplus in the oil market by 2027, though it noted that low inventories and strategic stockpiling demand would provide a floor under prices .
The mid-June U.S.-Iran interim peace deal was the pivotal geopolitical catalyst for the forecast downgrades:
Goldman Sachs' late-June research concluded that:
Comments
0 comments