Oil prices have already had a huge year in 2026.

But Goldman Sachs reckons they could still go a fair bit higher.

The investment bank says Brent crude could rise above US$120 a barrel in early 2027 if problems across the Middle East continue.

Brent is trading at around US$106 a barrel on Tuesday morning, up roughly 57% over the past year.

A big part of that rise has come as attacks around the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea continue to make it harder to get oil out of the region.

And Goldman Sachs thinks prices could stay high for quite some time.

Why could oil reach US$120?

A lot comes down to how quickly Gulf oil supply can recover.

Goldman Sachs believes Brent could rise above US$120 if production stays well below pre-conflict levels.

The bank estimates average output next year could still be around 4 million barrels per day below pre-war levels.

Goldman Sachs global commodities co-head Daan Struyven said:

Markets are increasingly pricing a prolonged Mideast conflict.

The intensity and geographical breadth of tanker attacks … will remain a key driver of whether Gulf oil exports recover and how quickly.

And we’re already not that far away.

Crude reached US$109 a barrel last week, its highest level in around 5 months.

China could have a big say in what happens next too.

The country has cut crude imports by around a third while drawing more heavily on its large strategic petroleum reserves.

Goldman Sachs said how long China keeps dipping into those reserves could play a big role in how tight the global oil market becomes.

Why investors should care

Goldman Sachs said LNG markets across Asia and Europe are still tight, with only around 25% to 30% of pre-war Gulf energy exports restored.

If Middle East exports don’t improve, the bank believes global LNG prices could rise by around 55%.

Coal demand is holding up too.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) recently forecast that global coal demand would rise 1.2% in 2026 to a record 8.94 billion tonnes.

Goldman Sachs said US coal-fired power plants are also closing more slowly than expected, as electricity demand continues to grow.

Where to from here?

If oil stays above US$100 a barrel, Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS), and Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) could benefit from higher realised prices.

But there is another side to it.

Fuel is a major cost for transport, manufacturing and plenty of other businesses.

If those costs keep rising, some of them will eventually find their way through to consumers.

That could make inflation even harder to bring down, especially if energy costs continue to stay high.

The post Goldman Sachs says oil could surge past US$120. Could this be the next big market shock? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Why I’d buy Santos and Woodside shares today
• If I buy $4,000 of Woodside shares, how much dividend income will I receive?
• 5 things to watch on the ASX 200 on Monday
• Energy shares rose while the ASX 200 slumped last week. Here’s why
• 2 ASX dividend gems I’d buy today for $10,000 a year in passive income

Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC) share price is in focus today after the company reported a significant increase in coal resources, with a 262 million tonne boost at Bengalla Mine and a 151 million tonne rise at New Acland Mine.

What did New Hope report?

• Total coal resources grew to 2.96 billion tonnes as at 31 May 2026, up from 2.55 billion tonnes in 2025
• Bengalla Mine resources increased by 262 million tonnes, including a jump in underground resources from 76Mt to 100Mt
• New Acland Mine resources rose by 151 million tonnes, supported by new drilling and updated geological models
• Total recoverable reserves increased to 844 million tonnes (2025: 818Mt)
• Marketable reserves climbed to 516 million tonnes, compared with 507Mt the previous year

What else do investors need to know?

Recent exploration at Bengalla extended into new Exploration Licences, uncovering additional open cut and underground coal resources. At New Acland, drilling over the past two years within approved pit boundaries enabled a revised, JORC-compliant resource update.

Further mine planning and economic analysis are needed before new Bengalla resources can be converted to reserves. A concept-level study is complete, and pre-feasibility works are ongoing to support Bengalla’s operational life beyond current approvals. Meanwhile, resource and reserve estimates for other New Hope assets were unchanged from last year, as no new exploration was conducted outside the two main operating mines.

What’s next for New Hope?

The company will continue pre-feasibility studies at Bengalla to assess options for extending mining into prospective exploration areas. At New Acland, ongoing data collection and drilling may inform future approvals and potential extensions to the mine’s life.

Management says further resource upgrades could occur with additional exploration and technical work, though future reserve conversions will depend on regulatory approvals and detailed mine planning.

New Hope share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, New Hope shares have risen 44%, outperforming the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 1% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post New Hope reveals major 2026 coal resource increases appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• Energy shares rose while the ASX 200 slumped last week. Here’s why
• Here are the top 10 ASX 200 shares today
• Buy, hold, sell: New Hope, BOQ, Santos shares
• Buy, hold, sell: Endeavour, JB Hi-Fi, and New Hope shares 

Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.

The Netwealth Group Ltd (ASX: NWL) share price is in focus after announcing it will acquire Paradino, an AI-enabled adviser workflow automation business, for a total upfront consideration of $20 million. Netwealth will also invest an additional $10 million over two years to support Paradino’s growth and technology development.

What did Netwealth report?

• Acquisition of 100% of Paradino for $20 million (upfront), with up to $9 million in earn-out and retention payments over four years
• Additional $10 million to be invested in Paradino’s product roadmap and capability
• Paradino has annual recurring revenue of $1.6 million and supports over 500 financial advisers
• Paradino’s EBITDA for FY27 is projected to be a loss of approximately $3 million
• The transaction is not expected to have a material near-term impact on Netwealth’s earnings and existing guidance is maintained

What else do investors need to know?

Netwealth’s acquisition of Paradino significantly expands its adviser platform capabilities. Until now, Netwealth’s main focus has been on platform administration and implementation, but this deal brings advice workflow automation and specialist AI engineering expertise in-house.

Paradino automates some of the most time-consuming elements of financial advice, such as file notes, Statements of Advice, and advice presentations. This is designed to directly address adviser capacity constraints – freeing up more time to spend with clients and helping advisers serve a greater number of people across Australia.

Paradino brings a strong track record, having rapidly grown its subscriber base and recurring revenue since launch, with a churn rate of less than 1%. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Netwealth’s long-term growth prospects and support the company’s Dx30 ambition of improving adviser productivity.

What did Netwealth management say?

Matt Heine, CEO and Managing Director of Netwealth, said:

Our focus is on supporting advisers to grow their businesses and achieve their ambitions. A key part of this is helping advisers increase productivity so they can support more clients and spend more time delivering advice. This acquisition expands Netwealth’s capability beyond platform administration into key advice workflows, increasing our support for advisers across a larger part of the advice process. Together, we believe we can create Australia’s leading AI-enabled wealth management and adviser productivity platform. By combining Paradino’s workflow capability with Netwealth’s platform, data and adviser ecosystem, we look forward to helping our existing and future adviser clients operate more efficiently, improve outcomes for their clients and support the growth of both businesses. This will also help unlock the full value of our Unify data management platform and further drive AI-enabled automated processes. The transaction is consistent with our disciplined approach to capital allocation and adds an important strategic capability that will generate meaningful long-term growth.

What’s next for Netwealth?

Completion of the Paradino acquisition is targeted for the end of October 2026, subject to standard closing conditions. After completion, Netwealth will invest $10 million over two years to speed up Paradino’s product development and expand capability for advisers nationwide.

Netwealth intends to progressively integrate Paradino’s automation and artificial intelligence technology across its broader platform. This forms part of its strategy to support greater adviser productivity, deepen client relationships, and strengthen its leadership in wealth management technology.

Netwealth share price snapshot

Over the past 12 months, Netwealth shares have declined 38%, trailing the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has declined 1% over the same period.

View Original Announcement

The post Netwealth to acquire AI platform Paradino, boosting adviser automation appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

More reading

• ASX 200 bank shares led a financial sector rebound last week
• Where I’d invest $15,000 in ASX shares now
• 40 ASX shares with ex-dividend dates next week
• 4 ASX shares scoring upgrades in the final week of earnings season
• Buy, hold, sell: Netwealth, Sigma Healthcare, and Wesfarmers shares

Motley Fool contributor Laura Stewart has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Netwealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips. This article was prepared with the assistance of Large Language Model (LLM) tools for the initial summary of the company announcement. Any content assisted by AI is subject to our robust human-in-the-loop quality control framework, involving thorough review, substantial editing, and fact-checking by our experienced writers and editors holding appropriate credentials. The Motley Fool Australia stands behind the work of our editorial team and takes ultimate responsibility for the content published by The Motley Fool Australia.