Drillers holding fire
Unless oil prices surge, drilling activity will remain subdued next year. Any increase will breed cost inflation
The exploration and production sector begins 2018 after relative calm in 2017. The resolve of Opec has been matched by the resilience of American shale, leaving oil prices within a band of $40-60 a barrel. The lower end of this band is uncomfortable but survivable. The higher end isn't quite enough to stimulate a leap in capital investment. American tight oil output increased in 2017, but investors are showing signs of fatigue—the industry continues to need external funding and average equity values have lagged the oil price by 20 percentage points since 2014. So in 2018, shale producers may at last start focussing on generating cash over growing production. There are signs that technology i
Also in this section
24 October 2024
Producers in the region see significant gains to be made by boosting output using the infrastructure already in place
23 October 2024
Markets have seen no material disruption from the war so far, but as the fighting goes on it is a matter of when, not if
23 October 2024
Majors in the region are pushing boundaries and could see significant upside, but longer-term risks remain
22 October 2024
Angola is unlikely to meet the official timeline for an IPO of state-owned oil giant Sonangol in 2026