Tag: drilling rigs

Best in Energy – 13 March 2023

U.S. regulators take over failed Silicon Valley Bank

U.S. central bank acts to shore up liquidity

China/Iran/Saudi diplomatic talks ($WSJ)

Aramco sees oil market “tightly balanced”

Cobalt prices slump on output surge ($FT)

U.S. central bank and a hard landing ($FT)

U.S. INTEREST RATE traders have slashed exectations for future rate rises as the banking system comes under strain. Banks are heavily engaged in maturity and liquidity transformation, funding longer-term loans with shorter-term deposits and other borrowing. The progressive inversion of the yield curve is putting that function under increasing strain. Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), which failed on March 10 after a run by depositors, may have been an outlier. But the intensifying inversion poses challenges for all banks. Following the run on SVB, traders increasingly think concerns about financial stability will constrain future interest rate increases. Futures prices imply benchmark overnight interbank rates will end the year at around 4.50% (the same level as now) rather than 5.50-5.75% (which was expected as recently as March 8):

U.S. DRILLING activity continues to slow. The combined oil and gas rig count fell by -3 in the seven days to March 10. The total number of active rigs has fallen in 9 of the last 14 weeks by a total of -38 rigs (-5%) since early December:

HEDGE FUND and other money manager positions in the six major petroleum futures and options contracts on February 21, 2023:

Best in Energy – 27 June 2022

Russia/EU clash over routine gas pipeline maintenance

EdF/Engie/Total call for immediate energy conservation

U.S. shale producers turn to refracturing existing oil wells

Germany’s chemicals firms contemplate shutdown ($WSJ)

Bank for International Settlements annual economy review

Southwest Airlines’ fuel hedging ($FT)

U.S. OIL AND GAS rig count rose +13 to 753 last week as higher prices spur exploration and production companies to contract more drilling teams. The number of active rigs has climbed by +509 from the cyclical low in August 2020 and is only -40 below the pre-pandemic level in March 2020. The number of active oil rigs is still -88 below the pre-pandemic level but gas rigs are already +48 above the March 2020 level.

Oil and gas drilling is exhibiting a fairly normal cyclical recovery, though it is unfolding slower than other recent recoveries because some of the larger exploration and production companies have been constraining drilling and production programmes to keep prices high and boost returns to shareholders:

IF YOU would like to receive best in energy plus my research notes every day you can add your email to the circulation list here: https://eepurl.com/dxTcl1