Suze Orman says panic-selling stocks now even though crude oil prices have surged over 50% would be the ultimate investment mistake

Em NortonFri, April 17, 2026 at 9:05 AM UTC

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Suze Orman speaks at an event in New York City.

As the U.S. and Iran continue to negotiate a truce, global oil prices remain extremely volatile.

Following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire on April 8, global oil prices dropped below $100 before rising above that benchmark a few days later (1), when Iran and the U.S. failed to reach a lasting truce.

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As of April 15, TD Economics (2) reported that "prices once again dropped around 5% as markets price in the potential for second-round talks." That being said, West Texas Intermediate oil prices have surged more than 50% since the war began on February 28 (3).

With oil prices in such a state of flux, so too is the stock market, which took a big hit when the Iran war began. The market has since bounced back, as the S&P 500 is up nearly 11% since March 30 (4).

However, as ceasefire negotiations continue to drag on, investors with cold feet may feel inclined to sell their stocks, but Suze Orman warns this could be a "big mistake."

'I've learned that lesson the hard way'

In a conversation with markets expert Keith Fitz-Gerald, Orman discussed the importance of resisting the urge to sell your stocks right now.

"Everybody who thinks they're being smart by stepping out right now is going to get left behind," Fitz-Gerald told Orman on her YouTube channel (5). "I've learned that lesson the hard way. I thought I was being smart, I bailed out, I made mistakes, I lost money."

When Orman asked Fitz-Gerald to tell the viewers why selling stock right now would be a big mistake, he advised people to relax and look at the bigger picture.

"In the early 2000s, Amazon lost 97% of its value," he shared. "That's incomprehensible to people today, they simply forget their history. We're going to get through this."

If you can stick it out through tough financial times, you could benefit from gains that will likely come when the market bounces back, according to Orman and Fitz-Gerald.

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Investing during turbulent times

Jaime Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, recently warned that a 2026 recession could be looming, citing both the war in Iran and the uptick in artificial intelligence as potential causes (6).

In the 2026 annual letter to JPMorgan shareholders (7), Dimon wrote that the economy faces "the potential for significant ongoing oil and commodity price shocks, along with the reshaping of global supply chains, which may lead to stickier inflation and ultimately higher interest rates than markets currently expect."

That being said, much like Orman and Fitz-Gerald discussed, a potential recession doesn't necessarily mean selling your stocks is the right thing to do, even if you're feeling panicked.

Historically, recessions have been temporary. According to the National Bank (8), "the average length of recessions in the U.S. since WWII has been around 11 months, and the 2008 Financial Recession was the longest one during this period (18 months)."

As the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, the S&P 500 had fallen 24%, but by August it was up 27% from its low and was back to its January levels by November, according to Forbes (9).

"Investors who sell after the market has dropped substantially, usually are setting themselves up to miss the future rally in asset prices" the National Bank writes (10).

By avoiding selling during a panic, you can wait out the surging crude oil prices and hope for the rally to come soon.

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Article Sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.

Trading Economics (1); TD Economics (2); 24/7 Wall St. (3); Yahoo Finance (4); YouTube (5); Morningstar (6); JPMorgan Chase (7); National Bank Direct Brokerage (8),(10); Forbes (9).

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

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Source: “AOL Money”