Crude Oil
Weakening Shale Productivity Could Be Bullish For Oil Prices

After years of improvements in drilling techniques and impressive “efficiency gains,” there is now evidence that the U.S. shale industry is reaching the end of the road on well productivity. A report earlier this month from Raymond James & Associates finds that the U.S. shale industry may struggle to achieve further productivity gains. If these […]
What If Venezuela And Iran Oil Are Totally Off The Market?

We’re hyper-focused on politics at the moment because, well, Trump. If he weren’t the president, with unshakeable support from one faction while inducing loathing from another, then the 2020 election cycle might be a touch less fanatical. But he is the president, and we’ve got Democratic hopefuls pummeling each other as they move to the […]
The Russians Are Coming To America ….. Bearing Oil

As America’s Russia hysteria is stirred once again by the arrival of the long-awaited report of the U.S. Department of Justice on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, a surge in Russian oil imports has arrived on America’s shores. The surge was little noticed by what passes for the U.S. foreign policy apparatus these days […]
Will U.S. Shale Companies Survive This Oil Price Downturn?

The bad news coming out of the shale oil fields of America could all be put down to slumping oil prices. That is certainly a big factor. But as investment professionals like to say, when the tide goes out, we all find out who’s been skinny-dipping. The pattern of negative news from shale country is […]
Oil Price Now Hostage To The Financial Market

Oil prices regained more ground on Wednesday, pushed higher after equity markets rebounded from an initial selloff at the start of 2019 trading. The price gains are not entirely convincing. WTI and Brent posted strong gains, each up more than 3 percent by midday in New York, but come largely after U.S. equity markets shook […]
5 Best Oil Stocks To Buy Now

Oil has been under pressure, but these names present opportunity Crude oil prices have been getting crushed over the past few months. The decline in oil makes the stock market’s run look pretty good, with crude falling almost 35% from peak to trough after coming into October near its highs. That of course has weighed […]
Shale Marching Higher Despite Lower Oil Prices

The shale oil revolution is still going strong… That’s the story of today’s chart, which maps U.S. daily oil production in the top-five shale oil regions from 2013 to today… and projects production to 2025. The five regions are: Permian (Delaware), Permian (Midland), Eagle Ford (in Texas), Bakken (in parts of Montana), and Niobrara (in […]
From Shale Oil To Shale Fail

I’m tempted to say the following to the writers of two recent pieces outlining the continuing negative free cash flow of companies fracking for oil in America: “Tell me something I don’t already know.” But apparently their message (which has been true for years) needs to be repeated. This is because investors can’t seem to […]
Oil Market Outlook, October 2018

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its Short-Term Energy Outlook for October, and it shows that OECD oil inventories likely bottomed in July at 2.806 billion barrels. It shows inventories rising in the third quarter, contrary to the normal seasonal trend. However, it forecasts that stocks will drop in December to 2.817 billion after the […]