What is Wood Mackenzie?: Wood Mackenzie is an Edinburgh-based global energy, renewables and natural resources research consultancy, founded in 1923 and owned by Verisk Analytics since 2015. It provides commodity price forecasts, supply models and strategic analysis to oil companies, Banks and governments worldwide.Source: Wood Mackenzie
What did Wood Mackenzie forecast for oil prices in the Iran conflict?: Analyst Ann-Louise Hittle forecast Brent Crude would reach $150 per barrel and called $200 "not outside the realms of possibility" as Hormuz disruption drove prices to $119 intraday in March 2026.Source: Wood Mackenzie / Lowdown
Who is Ann-Louise Hittle at Wood Mackenzie?: Ann-Louise Hittle is Wood Mackenzie's head of oil markets research. She issued a $150 Brent forecast during the 2026 Iran conflict and was one of the first analysts to put $200 per barrel in scope.Source: Lowdown
How does Wood Mackenzie compare to Rystad Energy on oil forecasts?: Wood Mackenzie's Ann-Louise Hittle called $200 per barrel "not outside the realms of possibility" during the 2026 Iran conflict; Rystad Energy modelled $110 by April and $135 by June under shorter war scenarios, making Wood Mackenzie the more bearish on supply and more bullish on price.Source: Lowdown
Who owns Wood Mackenzie?: Wood Mackenzie is a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics, a US-listed data analytics company. Verisk acquired the Edinburgh firm in 2015 for approximately $2.8 billion.Source: Wood Mackenzie

Background

Wood Mackenzie is a global energy, renewables and natural resources research consultancy, founded in 1923 in Edinburgh. Acquired by Verisk Analytics in 2015, it produces commodity price forecasts, supply-and-demand models and strategic analysis used by oil majors, Banks and governments worldwide. Its Edinburgh headquarters give it a distinctly European vantage on global energy markets.

The firm gained prominence in the Iran conflict oil spike of 2026, when analyst Ann-Louise Hittle forecast Brent Crude at $150 per barrel and called $200 "not outside the realms of possibility" as the Strait of Hormuz remained disrupted . Its analysis fed directly into market pricing as Brent Crude peaked at $126 .

Wood Mackenzie occupies an unusual position: a paid research service whose analyst forecasts routinely move commodity markets when cited in financial press. Its $150-200 Brent scenarios, grounded in Hormuz disruption modelling, sit at the hawkish end of the forecast range alongside Vanda Insights, while peers such as Rystad Energy and Goldman Sachs offered lower ceilings. How long any disruption lasts will determine whose model proves right.

How the World Sees Them

Investors

Asset managers cite Wood Mackenzie forecasts when stress-testing energy portfolios. Its $200 per barrel scenario forced re-evaluation of hedging strategies across the oil-dependent economy.

Oil Markets

Wood Mackenzie is a primary price-forecast reference for oil traders and banks. Its $150-200 Brent scenarios during the 2026 Iran conflict set the upper bound of credible market expectations.

United Kingdom

As an Edinburgh-based firm, Wood Mackenzie provides European-headquartered analysis in a field dominated by US banks. Its independence from trading desks lends credibility to its commodity outlooks.

Energy Industry

Oil majors and national companies licence Wood Mackenzie data for investment planning. The firm's Hormuz disruption models directly influenced capital allocation decisions during the 2026 supply shock.