Oil is on course for a second weekly loss, with Brent at $95.87 and WTI at $88.49, well below mid-October peaks but above February levels. Iran tanker attacks and Houthi strikes continue; Saudi output is back to 10.56M bpd. #Oil# #Brent# #Iran#

OIL CHANGE TECH TELLS A CUSTOMER HE HAS TO STAY IN HIS CAR!! Is the safety rule reasonable, or is the shop being too controlling? At a quick-lube shop, a customer wants to get out of his car, and a tech explains the policy that drivers stay in the vehicle during the service for safety. At first it sounds like an odd rule, and plenty of people would want to stretch their legs or watch the work being done. But once the tech explains it, it makes sense. Those shops have open pits and cars moving in and out, and someone walking around is a real risk. The customer is not crazy for asking, and the tech is not on a power trip for saying no. If our family pulled in with the boys in the back seat, we would want to know the rule before getting in line, not halfway through the service. Clear signs would solve most of this. Rules are easier to accept when someone takes the time to explain them. Fair rule or overkill?

Oil prices have fallen about 20% from the late-October peak of $118 a barrel on de-escalation hopes, with Brent near $94 Thursday. Ship attacks near Hormuz hit 37 in October, the most since the war began. #Oil# #Brent# #Iran# #Hormuz#