EUCI Blog

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The U.S. shale oil and gas sector is poised for a “new wave of consolidation” among small- and medium-sized producers facing an increasingly competitive landscape, according to industry consultant Rystad Energy. “Scale and efficiency are key catalysts for exploration and production (E&P) players who are seeking favorable business valuations,…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The U.S. is the world’s biggest natural gas producer – with three regions in the country each producing more gas than most countries – but demand continues to outpace production leading to higher natural gas prices. “Retail U.S. natural gas prices for every sector have increased so far this…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Oil and gas field mergers and acquisitions in 2024 reached $207 billion – a 331% year-over-year increase – as consolidation continued among the largest U.S. companies in the sector, according to Ernst & Young LLP. At the same time, some operators trimmed share buybacks and dividends to shareholders, and…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer Upstream oil and gas mergers and acquisitions opened 2025 with $17 billion in deals, the second-best start since 2018, but it was largely powered by one company. Prospects for the rest of the year are uncertain, according to Enverus Intelligence Research. Diamondback Energy dominated the quarter with its $4.08…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer The Trump administration’s goal of “energy dominance” and its mantra of “drill, baby, drill” have run into production limitations, economic uncertainty caused by the administration’s tariff policies, and increased output from OPEC+. In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to speed permitting, reduce regulations,…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer New Mexico is seeing the country’s most rapid increase in oil and gas production – with an output of 2 million barrels a day in 2024 – more than double the 2019 amount, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas study. New Mexico shares the Permian Basin, the…

By Mark Jaffe, EUCI energy writer U.S. oil and gas upstream mergers and acquisitions reached $105 billion in 2024 – the third highest total in more than a decade – even as deals cratered in the second half of the year, according to Enverus Intelligence Research. In the fourth quarter of 2024, activity was $9.6…

Brent Crude Tumbles Below $75 a Barrel, Erasing 2024 Gains September 3, 2024 Brent erased its 2024 gains as concerns about demand in the world’s two biggest economies overshadow heightened geopolitical risks. The global benchmark dropped below $75 a barrel and touched the lowest intraday price since December 2023. Read more

U.S. oil and gas M&A tops $30 billion for the third straight quarter Energize Weekly, August 7, 2024 Oil and gas mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the second quarter of 2024 marked the third consecutive quarter of $30 billion or more in transactions, according to energy consultant Enverus Intelligence Research. Before this run, quarterly deals…

Global oil production to rise while demand falls, putting pressure on prices and investments Energize Weekly, July 10,2024 Increasing global oil production in the face of plateauing demand will put price pressures on producers and challenge the large capital investment the industry is making, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) annual market analysis and…

ConocoPhillips-Marathon Deal Represents a Pivot June 04, 2024 The ConocoPhillips-Marathon Oil transaction represents a pivot in U.S. shale mergers and acquisitions, from deals focused on increasing exposure in a single key basin or play to acquiring a multi-basin operator. That’s what Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR) Principal Analyst Andrew Dittmar said in a statement sent to…

ExxonMobil will ‘still be producing oil and gas’ in 2050: CEO May 7, 2024 ExxonMobil (XOM) will still be producing oil and gas in 2050, the energy company’s CEO told Yahoo Finance on Monday, but fossil fuels will likely be a smaller part of the business. Darren Woods told Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi and Akiko…