Letter from Houston: Fiscal discipline has positives and negatives
No rush for a production rebound makes sense. But it may impact on the long-term attractiveness of a career in oil
The Texas oil industry—and production across much of the US more broadly—has, unsurprisingly, spent a year struggling to adjust for highly uncertain demand conditions. It still also bears the psychological scars of last year’s negative April WTI price. To briefly recap, overwhelming selling demand to close out long positions from paper traders unable to take delivery of physical barrels and a lack of Cushing tank capacity forced the expiring WTI futures contract to previously unseen lows. Physically traded WTI—along with other US grades, which often trade over the counter and share a positive correlation with WTI paper—also weakened considerably. As a reaction, according to the EIA, Lower-48

Also in this section
25 July 2025
Mozambique’s insurgency continues, but the security situation near the LNG site has significantly improved, with TotalEnergies aiming to lift its force majeure within months
25 July 2025
There is a bifurcation in the global oil market as China’s stockpiling contrasts with reduced inventories elsewhere
24 July 2025
The reaction to proposed sanctions on Russian oil buyers has been muted, suggesting trader fatigue with Trump’s frequent bold and erratic threats
24 July 2025
Trump energy policies and changing consumer trends to upend oil supply and demand