U.S. crude oil drops below $55 a barrel, hits lowest level since early 2021

The oil market is under pressure as OPEC+ members have rapidly ramped up production and the U.S. pressures Ukraine to accept a peace agreement with Russia.

# U.S. crude oil drops below $55 a barrel, hits lowest level since early 2021 The oil market is under pressure as OPEC+ members have rapidly ramped up production and the U.S. pressures Ukraine to accept a peace agreement with Russia. **Read the full article:** [CNBC](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/16/crude-oil-prices-today.html) *This article was originally published by CNBC. MoneyWiseInc provides expert curation of the best financial content from trusted sources.*