The stunning U.S. military operation that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has suddenly put the global oil world on high alert, and energy stocks in the spotlight. Venezuela isn’t just any oil nation. It sits on a jaw-dropping 303 billion barrels of proven crude reserves, roughly 17 % of the world’s total, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Considering that, investors are now busy trying to figure out which energy companies might cash in on drilling into that black gold once the dust settles.
In fact, less than a week after Maduro’s removal, President Donald Trump hosted more than a dozen top oil executives at the White House to lay out the vision for Venezuela’s energy future. At that meeting, Trump boldly said oil companies will pour at least $100 billion into rebuilding Venezuela’s creaking oil infrastructure, with the U.S. promising security and protection so “they get their money back and make a very nice return.”
