We examine an interesting correlation between Hilary’s lead and the rig count bottom. There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see the full update… To read this update and receive our research newsletters, you must be a member. If you are new to Infill Thinking, or your membership …
Read More »Making $40 Oil Great Again? Watch This Key Norwegian Development
An internal challenge set by the Statoil front office this year tasked engineers with something that would have once been thought impossible: turn a profit on a major new Barents Sea field development, the Johan Castberg, at $40 oil. Is $40 is the new $70? Statoil’s internal hurdle was lowered earlier this …
Read More »Campaign Speech… Of The Drilling Variety
Our regular weekly analysis of Baker Hughes rig count statistics is below, but first some campaign speech. This weekend, we are taking a break from the political rhetoric to look at drilling campaigns. For the first time in two years, the US Independents are flexing up their drilling programs. …
Read More »EOG And Continental Are Aggressively Completing Their DUCs Now
Leading Independent E&Ps like EOG Resources and Continental Resources are moving quickly now to complete their excess drilled but uncompleted (DUC) well inventories. The recent increase in oil prices into the $45 – $50 range was the signal to complete ’em if you got ’em. In this update we review the specifics …
Read More »Alpine Lows: Controversy And Growth For Apache’s New Permian Leviathan
Shares of Apache sank 7% Thursday, closing at their lowest level since the Alpine High wet gas discovery was announced in early-September. The transformational Reeves County discovery has made Apache the darling of investors for the past several months. Here’s what’s new… There’s a lot more to this story… Login to see …
Read More »Just Sittin’ On The Dock Of The Bay… Half The Global OSV Fleet Is Rusting Away
As Infill Thinking readers are well aware, the protracted downturn for the industry as a whole has been particularly hard on offshore businesses. At the extreme end of the offshore pain spectrum sit the offshore supply vessel (OSV) contractors. Historically a commoditized service line with few barriers to entry, the OSV landscape now …
Read More »Capex Trends For Majors vs. Independents To Diverge In 2017, Except In Shale
BP and Shell updated their spending outlooks Tuesday morning. The two Majors echoed recent reports from their peers by again lowering planned capex spending. As Independents selectively spend a little more in 4Q16 and prepare to reverse their budget cuts next year, the Majors continue to systematically lower their total spend. Optically, …
Read More »The Two Main Reasons Why A US Land Rig Fleet Renovation Has Begun
Although it may seem early to some, another fleet improvement cycle is underway for the US land rig fleet. We covered the specific upgrade programs of several leading land drillers last week in this post. It’s a relatively humble reconstruction cycle financially speaking, involving more discrete equipment upgrades than overhauls or …
Read More »The Three Scariest Risk Factors Facing This Fragile Recovery
Infill Thinking’s launch 10 days ago coincides with the arrival of a young oilfield recovery. The definition of recovery is different this time – shallower and more gradual than before – but there is no doubt that, at a minimum, oilfield contraction is abating. Against this backdrop, our early updates …
Read More »GE & Baker Hughes – Initial Reaction To The Deal
After four days of speculation and head scratching over what kind of deal GE and Baker Hughes might be concocting, the companies announced an extensive partnership Monday morning, essentially a merger of GE O&G with Baker Hughes. The deal is more extensive than we (and many others) originally expected late last week. …
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