Robert Rapier

Latest articles from Robert

• Why Chevron’s $10 Billion Impairment Matters

  Published 25 December 2019 | viewed 31,860 times

  Chevron surprised a number of people last week when it announced that it would take a non-cash, after-tax impairment charges of $10 billion to $11…

• Will The Exxon Ruling Impact Future Climate Cases?

  Published 23 December 2019 | viewed 16,604 times

  As I explained last month in Exxon Knew. Did They, Though?, perceptions outside of an oil company are often at odds with what is happening…

• Is A New Price War Looming For OPEC?

  Published 12 December 2019 | viewed 12,739 times

  Last week OPEC, Russia and other oil-producing nations agreed to additional oil production cuts in an effort to support oil prices. Following the 177th Meeting…

• The World’s 10 Biggest Polluters

  Published 07 December 2019 | viewed 18,216 times

  About 200 countries are presently convened for the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 25 in Madrid. The Conference of the Parties to the UN…

• The Oil Company Built To Survive The Bear Market

  Published 05 December 2019 | viewed 26,701 times

  The oil and gas industry has had a rough ride since the oil price downturn of 2014. Over the past five years, the Energy Select…

• This Oil Niche Is Performing Well Even With Low Prices

  Published 23 November 2019 | viewed 21,663 times

  Energy stocks have had an up and down year. But one segment of the energy sector has been unfairly punished in my opinion, even though…

• There’s No Quick Fix To Global Emissions Growth

  Published 20 November 2019 | viewed 14,496 times

  Last week the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2019. The WEO projects global energy supply and demand through 2040, under three different…

• U.S. Shale Growth To Flatline Within 2 Years

  Published 17 November 2019 | viewed 18,492 times

  Earlier this summer, it seemed that U.S. shale oil growth was beginning to slow. But then production growth picked back up headed into the fall,…

• The $75 Billion Indicator That Might Reveal Aramco’s True Value

  Published 13 November 2019 | viewed 11,100 times

  Last week Saudi Arabia’s national oil company Aramco announced its intention to publicly offer shares on the Riyadh stock exchange. The IPO has been pending…

• Why Oil Companies Aren't Evil

  Published 07 November 2019 | viewed 15,261 times

  When I worked for the oil industry, I began to see things differently from the inside. The image in my mind of “Big Oil” began…

• The Uncomfortable Truth About Biofuel

  Published 06 November 2019 | viewed 20,738 times

  Earlier this month, France’s constitutional court upheld a law cutting palm oil from the country’s list of approved biofuels and eliminating associated tax exemptions. The court rejected…

• What’s Really Behind The Ethanol Crisis?

  Published 04 November 2019 | viewed 8,930 times

  If you ask politicians in the corn belt, or those who produce corn or ethanol, they know exactly where to place the blame for their…

• Floating Nuclear Power: Chernobyl On Ice Or The Future Of Energy?

  Published 25 October 2019 | viewed 22,552 times

  Last month the Akademik Lomonosov, a first-of-its-kind floating nuclear plant built by Russian state nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom, arrived at Pevek, a port town on the…

• The Death Of The World’s Most Popular Battery

  Published 17 October 2019 | viewed 17,662 times

  Batteries became an indispensable part of our daily lives during the 20th Century. But the pace of change has dramatically increased in the 21st Century…

• Are Electric Vehicle Mandates Next On The Table?

  Published 12 October 2019 | viewed 9,819 times

  In my many discussions with ethanol proponents, they invariably push several narratives. Sometimes these narratives are sincere, but sometimes they are driven by glaring self-interest. Today…

• Should Markets Worry About Falling Saudi Oil Inventories?

  Published 01 October 2019 | viewed 18,579 times

  Bloomberg is reporting that Saudi Aramco has restored oil production levels at the crude-processing plants at Abqaiq and at the Khurais oil field. Multiple reports that Saudi’s production would…

• The Impact Of The Saudi Oil Attack Is Far From Over

  Published 23 September 2019 | viewed 20,438 times

  Oil prices have already pulled back from their surge following last weekend’s drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure. This has led some to say…

• A Fracking Ban Will Never Happen

  Published 14 September 2019 | viewed 19,875 times

  It’s primary season, which generally means Democratic candidates for President are trying to see who can swing farthest Left. This is especially true when it…

• U.S. Oil Market Suffering As The Trade War Escalates

  Published 07 September 2019 | viewed 47,765 times

  The ongoing trade war with China is impacting many industries. Market volatility is being exacerbated by President Trump’s pattern of vacillating between threats and cease-fires…

• The Best Way To Play The Energy Sector Sell-Off

  Published 07 September 2019 | viewed 9,282 times

  Last week I received a news alert that highlighted the extent of the current bear market in energy stocks. Typically, late in a business cycle…