Infill Thoughts

Halliburton’s strategy for 2017 is shifting, and the company will have a whole different M.O. this year. Jeff Miller, Halliburton President expressed his feelings about the new year this way: “in many ways, 2016 was like a bar room brawl where everyone, and I mean everyone, took a punch. But …

Oilfield service pricing moving higher cyclically is a good thing for all our readers (including operators, for current pricing is unsustainable and will destroy capacity in the long run). That said, we stand at a tricky juncture in the cycle for oilfield service company decision makers trying to reset their …

After a brush back in the second week of the year, the US land rig count surged ahead last week. 2017 E&P budgets and drilling programs are kicking in and we expect continued strength over the next 4-6 weeks. Take out a free trial below to see our full analysis of …

This morning, Schlumberger management hosted a conference call with analysts to discuss 4Q16 results and the 2017 outlook. The company kicked off oilfield service earnings season on a positive note. Following nine consecutive quarters of relentless workforce reductions, cost cutting, and restructuring efforts, Schlumberger is restoring focus on the pursuit …

The big to-do in Washington today isn’t the only inauguration going today. In New York, the markets inaugurated Keane Group Inc. as the newest publicly traded frac outfit today. In this update, we discuss the IPO’s early performance and introduce the newest public frac company. There’s a lot more to this story… …

Schlumberger kicks off 4Q earnings season this week, hosting a conference call Friday morning to discuss the 2017 outlook. During the fourth quarter, a cyclical inflection point materialized in the US onshore market. A key question during the calls this earnings season will be how sustainable the cyclical growth trajectory …

Permian oilfield service and drilling contractors are having one great start to the year. Contractors got another dose of good news yesterday as Noble Energy expanded in the Permian Basin with the acquisition of Clayton Williams. In this update, we discuss why the deal is good for oilfield service contractors …

Nothing can go up and to the right forever, especially not the rig count. The US onshore rig count fell back by six units this week. This break is actually a good thing and we explain why and break down the weekly rig count in in this post. There’s a …

WPX Energy joined in the Permian deal making fray, announcing a $775mm Delaware Basin acquisition late Thursday. 2017 operating plan announcements from Permian Independents aren’t the standard fare this year. We are used beginning of year E&P operating plans stating capex, production, and drilling program summaries. This year they are …

In a related update published last week, we described how the brute force enterprise of nano-darcy E&P is becoming more elegant. Elegance is achieved as sub-surface understanding moves closer to a realistic picture of the reservoir. Enhancing sub-surface understanding is where leading innovators in shale are focused today. They are …