Driven

Continuing super-low oil prices have driven two of the largestoil companies in the world into a friendly merger, with Exxonacquiring Mobil for $77.2 billion in stock, making the deal therichest corporate takeover ever. Exxon Mobil Corp. will be thelargest corporation in the world based on the two companies’combined revenue of $203 billion last year.

Encouraged by another skyrocketing screen, growing airconditioning load and a major supply outage in the Rockies, cashprices were on the rise Friday almost across the board by anywherefrom 2 to 18 cents. Most upticks were in the neighborhood of anickel, but all Rockies pipes were seeing double-digit increases.”I think a lot of people are starting to put their bull horns backon,” commented a Texas source.

Cash prices slipped lower in most areas yesterday, giving backweather-driven gains earlier in the week. Sources blamed theweakness mainly on the inability of the June futures contract tomuster considerable gains, along with forecasts of moderatingtemperatures going into the weekend. With the exception of minorgains in Sumas and Stanfield, most trading areas lost between 3-5cents Tuesday.