Oilfield services provider Baker Hughes reported a 13-rig increase this week to the number of oil and gas rigs active in the United States, bringing the total number of active oil and gas rigs to 637, just 72 shy of the count this time last year.
Last week, the number of oil and gas rigs in operation jumped by 27, with oil rigs accounting for 21 of the 27. Last week's data revealed that the U.S. had put more oil rigs into play than in any time since July 2015.
The big winner this week was oil yet again, accounting for 12 of the 13 new rigs.
While oil-dependent OPEC members find themselves in a precarious position over the balance between not enough and too much with regards to oil prices, the United States has steadily increased the number of active drilling rigs, most notably since the OPEC agreement on November 30 that saw OPEC agree to cut back production to 32.5 million bpd.
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All About the Permian
When it comes to U.S. oil, there is no hotter basin right now than the Permian. Since September 23rd, the Permian Basin has put online 57 oil rigs-a figure that represents more new oil rigs than all the other basins combined. Related: Nigeria Aims For "Lasting Peace" As Oil Output Hits 1.8 Million Bpd
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Still, the number of active oil rigs in the Permian, while gaining momentum, is still a far cry from the 550+ oil rigs seen in that basin during most of 2014.
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WTI was trading up 1.55 percent at $51.69 half hour before the data release, with Brent at $55.05, up 1.91 percent. Oil prices were largely unchanged moments after the release, with unsettled markets still working through how much trust to place on OPEC member promises and non-OPEC collaborations, along with API and EIA data regarding inventory that has come under increased scrutiny as of late.
By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com
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Julianne Geiger is a veteran editor, writer and researcher for Oilprice.com, and a member of the Creative Professionals Networking Group. More
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