West Texas and Brent Crude oil prices both dropped below $40 per barrel this week. Continued high production beside a decline in Chinese demand has made an already oversupplied market suffer.
However, U.S. shale drillers have only just barely cut back on oil production. According to Bloomberg, output from 58 such drillers increased by 19% since last year. That amounts to an increase of 4% per quarter as compared to last year.
With the supply glut as harsh as it is, you would think it would make more sense for those companies to cut back; after all, that oil is just getting cheaper.
Shareholders prefer to disagree.
By and large, it seems many shareholders would prefer to see company growth rather than immediate investment returns.
You see, it was continued drilling that made the U.S. one of the most prolific producers in the world, even surpassing oil major Saudi Arabia.
And many companies boast reduced costs that can keep projects affordable even at $40 oil. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, some companies have reduced costs as much as 20%.
At lower break-even costs, companies can continue pumping oil at regular rates. Even if expansions projects have to be put on hold, production can continue.
Chief Executive Officer at Cimarex (NYSE:XEC), one of these growth-over-returns companies, says, “We are not victims waiting for a rescue ship. That ship’s not coming.”
Oil and gas companies must fund their own growth in the low oil market if that’s what shareholders want to see.
Still other companies have taken a more cautious approach and cut back on production, arguing that returns will be better in the long run if the company waits for higher oil prices.
In either situation, these companies are all striving to save money. The oil market recovery seems to be slow-going, and any cost-cutting measures are a plus when they mean the difference between surviving the glut and going belly-up.
To continue reading…
Click here to read the MSN article.
Until next time,
Keith Kohl
Check us out on YouTube!A true insider in the technology and energy markets, Keith’s research has helped everyday investors capitalize from the rapid adoption of new technology trends and energy transitions. Keith connects with hundreds of thousands of readers as the Managing Editor of Energy & Capital, as well as the investment director of Angel Publishing’s Energy Investor and Technology and Opportunity.
For nearly two decades, Keith has been providing in-depth coverage of the hottest investment trends before they go mainstream — from the shale oil and gas boom in the United States to the red-hot EV revolution currently underway. Keith and his readers have banked hundreds of winning trades on the 5G rollout and on key advancements in robotics and AI technology.
Keith’s keen trading acumen and investment research also extend all the way into the complex biotech sector, where he and his readers take advantage of the newest and most groundbreaking medical therapies being developed by nearly 1,000 biotech companies. His network includes hundreds of experts, from M.D.s and Ph.D.s to lab scientists grinding out the latest medical technology and treatments. You can join his vast investment community and target the most profitable biotech stocks in Keith’s Topline Trader advisory newsletter.
