The decade of 2010 opened to a “black gold rush” built upon horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, drawing in a flood of investment money of all kinds. Investors dreamed of funding an unlimited Christmas list for producers and service companies alike, asking only that the list be used to expand the company so it could […]
Where Will Crude Prices Go From Here?
Two competing narratives dominate the talk today where crude oil prospects are concerned. There is the break-your-spirits pessimism parroted by the Covid-crisis crowd, beating their drumbeat of disaster. For them, the lockdowns ought be locked in a year or more at a crack. Then there is the bullishness of the glass-half-full crowd, finding positivity in […]
Mergers and acquisitions decline 68 percent in Texas in 2020Q2
Texas Lawbook said the 89 mergers, acquisitions and joint venture transactions completed by Texas companies in 2020Q2 represented a decline of 68 percent from 2019Q2 as activity in the state reached historic lows. Texas Lawbook, with data from Mergermarket, said the value of the transactions dropped 93.7 percent. The 89 deals were the fewest in […]
Chronicle: Federal loans save 93,117 oil and gas industry jobs in Texas
An analysis of data from U.S. Small Business Administration by Houston Chronicle shows that more than $1 billion in forgivable loans for Texas companies in the federal government’s pandemic relief program saved more than half of the state’s oil and gas industry jobs. The federal government issued 6,610 loans to crude oil and natural gas […]
Crude Prices: When Will the Upturn Turn Up?
In an article posted this week entitled, “Oil Rebounds with Economic Data Outweighing Virus Resurgence,” Bloomberg’s Hailey Waller and Grant Smith set forth some much-needed positive news for the oil and gas industry. It’s the question that is on everyone’s minds. When will the price of crude oil rise to a level that can sustain […]
Texas Petro Index of 181.8 for March declines 14.7 percent in past year
Texas Petro Index by petroleum economist Karr Ingham declined again in March to 181.8 for the 13th consecutive month. That represents a decline of 14.7 percent since the index of 213.3 a year ago in March 2019. Also in the past year, oil price (monthly average) was down 50.4 percent, natural gas price (first of […]