Oil prices

Domestic crude oil production in 2020 dropped 8% from the prior year in response to the demand hits caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said Tuesday. A record hurricane season further complicated matters.  The 935,000 b/d decline to an average 11.3 million b/d last year marked the steepest annual decrease…

Following Saudi Arabia’s surprise announcement last week that it would cut another 1.0 million b/d in crude oil output in April – after similar cuts in February and March – Raymond James & Associates Inc. analysts raised their price expectations as supply/demand further tightens this spring. In addition to Saudi Arabia’s efforts, members of the…

Lower 48 exploration and production (E&P) firms must resist the urge to dramatically ramp up production as oil prices and demand recover, according to the CEOs of two U.S. heavyweights, ConocoPhillips and Pioneer Natural Resources Co.  “I hope there is discipline in the system,” ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance said Tuesday during a webcast panel at…

Oil prices rallied this week as traders absorbed new – and elevated – forecasts for 2021 amid signs that U.S. inventories could trail rising demand as the year unfolds. Key oil benchmarks traded near 13-month highs this week, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude surpassing $63/bbl on Thursday and Brent crude hovering around $67. WTI…

Houston-based Apache Corp. on Thursday signaled it will boost upstream capital spending this year by 11% to $1.1 billion over 2020, but most of the funds are earmarked for overseas, not in the Lower 48. The decision to hike capital expenditures (capex) comes after the 4Q2020 results provided “a positive conclusion to a challenging year,”…

Even as prices recover, U.S. oil production is likely to only inch ahead – at best – in 2021 as producers focus on cash flow and returning capital to shareholders in bids to win back investors’ trust following the severe slump of 2020, economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas said Monday. Kunal Patel,…

The extraordinarily harsh blast of frigid temperatures blanketing much of the Lower 48 crippled power grids and sent natural gas spot prices soaring on Tuesday, extending a surge that began the previous week. Futures also jumped Tuesday amid widespread reports of rolling blackouts and production freeze-offs. According to Tuesday’s MidDay Price Alert, NGI’s Spot Gas…

Oil consumption will rise in 2021 alongside a global economic recovery and increased travel, though demand this year is not likely to match the levels prior to the pandemic, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said. In a supplement to its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) report, the agency forecast global oil consumption would gather…

The Lower 48’s ample supply of drilled but uncompleted wells, aka DUCs, is coming down at a quick pace and is expected to reach “normal” levels by year’s end, tightening the oil supply according to Raymond James & Associates Inc. In a note to clients, Raymond James analyst John Freeman made the case that the…