Bumpy

Following years of record commodity prices and profits, the oil and natural gas industry is now traveling a bumpy road. The U.S. economy is weaker, climate change is on the agenda, access to reserves is tighter, output is lower and the workforce is smaller. For a smoother ride, energy executives Tuesday urged their peers to invest in technology, build on efficiency measures and begin partnering with stakeholders around the world.

Calling it one of the most important annual meetings that the company has had in its history, Aquila CEO Richard Green Jr. started out by offering an apology to shareholders for the company’s poor performance. Over the past few years, Aquila shareholders have seen the stock price plummet over 90% and their dividends cut to the point of elimination.

Calling it one of the most important annual meetings that the company has had in its history, Aquila CEO Richard Green Jr. started out by offering an apology to shareholders for the company’s poor performance. Over the past few years, Aquila shareholders have seen the stock price plummet over 90% and their dividends cut to the point of elimination.

After a bumpy ride early last week marked by double-digit price swings, natural gas futures coasted smoothly into the weekend Thursday and Friday as traders elected to wait until a clearer fundamental and technical picture is available. By failing to break out of Thursday’s 15-cent trading range, the December contract notched a second-straight “inside day” on the daily chart. It finished at $3.248, down 4.2 cents for the session Friday, but up 6.5 cents for the week.