A price drop benefits any country seeking to cut its fuel bill. But in oil producing nations, lower prices can feed economic troubles, and sometimes political unrest, as governments slash spending.

Chevron and Exxon reported a drop in quarterly profits on Friday on the back of falling oil prices and weak refining margins, as the oil industry braces for its toughest year since the pandemic. Chevron said net income fell by just over a third to $3.

Chevron also reported its lowest first-quarter profits in years, with per-share adjusted profit falling to $2.18 per share on revenue of $47.61 billion. Similar to Exxon, Chevron