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India Oil Crisis Timeline 1973-2026: Crude, Petrol & Rupee

India is vulnerable to oil shocks because it imports around 88% of its crude oil. When Brent crude rises sharply, as it did toward $100 in September 2026 amid…

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FIRST OIL SHOCK

The Arab oil embargo near-quadruples global crude prices

Arab members of OPEC embargoed oil exports to nations seen as supporting Israel in the Yom Kippur War. Global crude prices moved from roughly $3 to about $12 a barrel wi…

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SECOND OIL SHOCK

The Iranian Revolution roughly doubles global oil prices

The Iranian Revolution disrupted Iran's oil production and exports, and global crude prices roughly doubled over 1979-80. The second shock in six years reinforced how in…

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GULF WAR SHOCK

Iraq's invasion of Kuwait roughly doubles oil prices, feeding India's BoP crisis

Iraq's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait pushed oil from about $17 to over $40 a barrel within months. This spike raised India's import bill and cut remittances from Indian…

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RECORD HIGH

Crude touches an intraday record near $147 a barrel

Crude oil touched an intraday record of about $147 a barrel in July 2008 amid a global commodity boom, before crashing later that year in the global financial crisis. In…

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PRICE CRASH

Oil crashes from over $115 to around $27-30 a barrel

The US shale boom and OPEC's decision not to cut output to defend market share sent Brent from above $115 in mid-2014 to around $27-30 by January 2016. Lower crude helpe…

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NEGATIVE SHOCK

US oil futures briefly trade below zero amid COVID demand collapse

US WTI crude futures for May 2020 delivery briefly settled at about -$37.63 a barrel on 20 April 2020, as COVID-19 lockdowns collapsed demand and US storage capacity nea…

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RUSSIA-UKRAINE SHOCK

War pushes Brent to ~$139; India pivots to discounted Russian crude

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 pushed Brent to around $139 a barrel in March 2022, its highest since 2008. India responded by sharply ramping up discounte…

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HORMUZ RISK

US-Iran-Israel conflict repeatedly threatens Hormuz shipping

An escalating US-Iran-Israel conflict through 2026 repeatedly threatened tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries roughly a fifth of the world's seabor…

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CAR-FUEL SHIFT

CNG, hybrid and EV vehicles overtake petrol for the first time

CNG/LPG, hybrid and electric vehicles together accounted for 41.95% of India's passenger-vehicle registrations in August 2026, edging past petrol/ethanol at 40.85%, per…

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BRENT NEAR $100

Renewed US-Iran strikes push Brent to a six-week high near $97.5

Brent crude traded near $98 on 7 September 2026, close to $97.5 a barrel and a six-week high, after the US and Iran exchanged strikes near the Gulf - the US targeting Ir…

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