Brent Crude Tops $98 a Barrel, Up 2.0% on the Day

The signal here is the pace, not the level: a steady intraday climb to a fresh push higher suggests buyers stayed in control through the session rather than a single spike fading. That matters for anyone watching input costs, freight and the broader inflation read, since crude sits upstream of most of it. Whether the move holds above this level into the next session, or gives it back, is the open question.