Wednesday 28 December 2016

Shieks Versus Shale. Sultans Of Swing

Is the 1979 hit for Dire Straits, taken from their debut album of the same name.

Analysts are betting that oil price should average between US$55 and US$60 a barrel in 2017, so if you are expecting an oil stock rally to last, you might just end up in dire straits.

Two reasons why this oil rally might not last are, OPEC members, who are past masters of the sultan of swing, might not keep their word on the production output quota, and also because shale oil operators are poised to ramp up production at current levels .

Baker Hughes which reported the latest rig count in the USA on December 23, had noted that over the past 25 weeks, the number of oil rigs working in the USA, has risen 23 times, suggesting a SHEIKH'S versus SHALE fight is for REAL.

Sprott Asset Management sees crude averaging at US$60 a barrel, while Barclays Bank sees the commodity averaging at US$56, and Citigroup Is betting that crude should average at US$55 a barrel next year.