Trump kills oil prices with a single tweet — even Liepāja's ice rink is warmer today

Donald Trump's social media account has once again proven that he's the only person in the world who can destroy the oil market with 280 characters. Monday morning, Trump announced that the US and Iran had conducted 'very good and productive talks' over the past two days, and oil prices immediately plummeted like stones through the ice on Lake Liepāja. Brent crude fell 14% to $96 per barrel, while WTI crude shrank to $84.37.

Trump's announcement about peace talks with Iran sounded about as credible as a promise of free beer for all Liepāja hockey fans. He claimed to have ordered the Pentagon to postpone strikes against Iranian energy facilities for five days. That's exactly as long as it takes to melt the ice at Liepāja's ice rink before the next hockey game.

'Well, at least now it'll be cheaper to heat the ice rink,' commented local hockey fan Jānis from Tosele. 'While Riga is figuring out how to save on heating, we can afford to keep ice even in summer.' Oil traders, of course, aren't so optimistic — they know Trump's tweets are as changeable as Liepāja's weather.

While global markets nervously watch every Trump social media post, life in Liepāja continues at its own pace. Maybe the oil price drop will even help — at least the ice rink will be colder than usual this year, since there's no need to save on electricity.