Best and worst: which stocks are benefiting and which are losing from the surge in oil prices

The cost of oil has risen about 20% over the past month, and that presents an opportunity for investors, CNBC says. It has calculated how stocks have behaved after previous similar jumps in the cost of raw materials by 15% or more and suggested sectors and shares of specific companies that could fall or, conversely, grow in the coming month.

After a surge in oil prices - futures are up nearly 20 percent amid escalating conflict between Israel and Iran - investors should get rid of or bet on auto and airline stocks to fall, and instead buy some technology securities over the next month, wrote CNBC.

The TV channel looked at previous instances when oil rose in price by more than 15% in a single month and identified the stocks in the main U.S. index S&P 500 that performed the best and worst in the month after that. It turned out that the technology sector was consistently among the top performers as investors look for securities less sensitive to rising oil prices and geopolitical risks.

CNBC named specific companies to watch out for.

- Monolithic Power Systems, the chip maker, has seen its stock trend up significantly - nearly 6.1% - after oil prices spiked. That's the best performance on CNBC's list. Its shares are up more than 17% since the start of the year.

- Another chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is posting a one-month median gain of about 3.2% after a surge in oil prices. AMD shares are up 5% since the beginning of the year, but jumped another 9% in the last week alone after Piper Sandler's prediction that the company's graphics processor business would rebound in the fourth quarter.

- Xylem, an industrial and commercial pumping equipment company, posted past monthly median growth of 3.4% following periods of higher oil prices. The company's securities are up 8% since the beginning of the year. JPMorgan in May began analyst coverage of Xylem's securities and immediately advised buying them - assigning an Overweight rating (above market) and calling it a «leading water technology-focused company,» CNBC notes.

- Shares of transportation companies CSX and CH Robinson also made the list. However, CNBC did not provide data on median growth after periods of higher oil prices for these companies. CSX shares have been little changed since the beginning of the year, with the stock adding about 6% for the month. CH Robinson shares have lost nearly 10% since the beginning of the year, and have lost about 4% in a month.

- Pharma Moderna recorded the biggest loss, with a monthly median decline of 3.6%.

- Automaker Ford and airline United Airlines posted median declines of more than 1%. Although Ford's stock is up about 5% since the beginning of the year, investor sentiment around the company remains uncertain. In early May, Ford revoked its 2025 financial forecast due to an expected loss of $2.5 billion due to U.S. President Donald Trump's duties.

- Energy companies NRG Energy and EOG Resources are also showing declines after a jump in oil prices, according to CNBC. Energy stocks have generally lagged this year due to the general decline in oil prices, the channel noted.