In a week of small adjustments, a downtick in oil activity saw the U.S. rig count ease one unit lower to 760 for the week ended Friday (Feb. 17), according to updated figures published by Baker Hughes Co. (BKR).

Domestic changes for the week included a two-rig decline in oil-directed drilling, partly offset by the addition of one natural gas-directed rig. 

Land drilling went unchanged for the period, while the Gulf of Mexico saw its total fall one unit to 17, up from 12 in the year-ago period. Total directional units were down one domestically, while horizontal and vertical drilling totals were unchanged week/week.

The combined 760 active U.S. rigs as of Friday compares with 645 rigs running in the year-earlier period, according to the BKR numbers, which are based partly on...