Loss

The fourth quarter was Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc.’s ninth consecutive quarter of revenue growth and one during which it charted record oil production and oil revenue, affirming the wisdom of management’s decision to transform Carrizo into an oil company, CEO Chip Johnson said.

Physical natural gas prices Friday rose an average 79 cents to $4.92, but if the highly volatile and constrained New England points are removed from the figures, the average was a loss of 2 cents to $3.58.

Natural gas pricing Tuesday was widely varied with the overall market showing an average loss of a dime. Once the high-flying New England pipelines such as Algonquin, Tennessee and Iroquois are factored out, however, the market actually showed a gain of 13 cents.

Hess Corp. won’t sell its unconventional assets in the Bakken, Eagle Ford and Utica shale plays, but it is looking at proposals from a hedge fund that wants a larger stake in the company, Hess officials said during a 4Q2012 earnings call on Wednesday.

The number of original drilling permits issued in Texas during November declined from one year ago, as did the amount of natural gas produced from Texas wells during October compared to a year ago, according to Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) figures.

Hedge fund TPG-Axon Capital, one of SandRidge Energy’s largest investors, continues to push for changes at the Oklahoma City-based exploration and production company, calling for the replacement of SandRidge’s entire board of directors.

Cash prices overall were 7 cents higher Monday on average as prices staged a broad rally with only a handful of points in the loss column. Midcontinent, East, and Northeast locations were strong. Futures trading was generally lackluster for the early part of the session, then declined as traders absorbed a survey showing expectations of lower prices next week. At the close November had fallen 16.5 cents to $3.452 and December had slumped 17.9 cents to $3.768. November crude oil slumped $1.32 on its last trading day to $88.73/bbl.

The overall cash market advanced another 6 cents on average with only a minority of points in the loss column and some locations sporting double-digit gains. Rockies and northern California points were strong as well as the Gulf Coast and the Midcontinent. Much to the delight of market technicians, futures put in a new high, and at the close November was 3.0 cents higher at $3.617 and December had added 4.3 cents to $3.947. November crude oil followed slumping equity markets and dropped $2.05 to $90.05/bbl.

Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc. on Thursday said international energy companies OIL India Ltd. and Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. (IOC) will make their first foray into U.S. shale by taking a 30% stake in the Houston operator’s holdings in the Niobrara Formation of Colorado.