If OPEC’s November 30th decision to cut production was like adding tinder to smoldering embers, then progress made over this past weekend was like dumping gasoline on the fire. Lower 48 oilfield activity will gather steam (and quickly) in early-2017. As the upstream supply chain tightens early in the new year, …
Read More »Thinking Ahead
The US Shale Revolt: American Oil Production Will Grow Again In 2017
The period from 2009-2014 was affectionately dubbed the US Shale Revolution. During the “revolution,” 40 years of American production declines were reversed in 5 with horizontal drilling and fracing. The revolution was a capital-intensive growth phase enabled by high oil prices. Today, we submit a new term to describe the …
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 »At The Cusp Of 3Q16 EPS Season, The Worm Has Finally Turned
Oilfield earnings season begins this week with Halliburton’s conference call. The tone on this upcoming round of calls is likely to be more positive than any time in recent memory. In this Thinking Ahead we outline key calls to monitor and discuss seven key themes we expect to be prevalent during the imminent earnings season. …
Read More »The Offshore Drillers Are Steering Into A Hard Landing That Will Last Years
In the upstream sector, carnage isn’t hard to find. In fact, we’ve all become a bit desensitized to it. But in this beaten-up oilfield, the offshore drillers stand out, not just for recent hardships but because years of austerity lie ahead. A construction overhang factors in, but that’s not the only problem facing the offshore industry. …
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