Baker Hughes

Oil Prices Reflecting Cold Feet?

Markets React To The Federal Reserve Announcement

Just recently, oil prices hit a two-year high – but now, this week they have started to head lower.

Men working oil

Chief executives from 10 of the world’s largest oil and gas companies have pledged their support for reaching a climate change agreement at the upcoming conference in Paris. [FT] Oil prices seesawed on Friday as traders awaited Baker Hughes’ weekly rig count at the end of a week that saw prices slide nearly 7 percent.… Keep reading →

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While it’s been said before, the US oil and gas production renaissance is nothing short of astonishing in terms of incremental volumetric production growth and the speed with which it occurred. It is interesting to drill down into new market developments that have manifested as a result of the production boom, like the emergence of… Keep reading →

Balance Of Power At Stake As Midterm Elections Draw Near

On November 17, 2014, Halliburton Company (“Halliburton”) announced plans to acquire Baker Hughes, Inc. (“Baker Hughes”) for $34.6 billion. Halliburton and Baker Hughes are two of the world’s largest oilfield services companies, providing drilling, formation evaluation, reservoir consulting and related services to oil and gas producers. Halliburton and Baker Hughes are reportedly considered two of the big three global oilfield services companies in the industry, second and third behind Schlumberger Ltd. (“Schlumberger”), the leading oilfield services company in the world. Although Schlumberger is reportedly the largest oilfield service company, reducing suppliers from 3 to 2 in any market will inevitably raise red flags with the Department of Justice (the agency expected to review the transaction), who will undoubtedly conduct a thorough antitrust review.

Greenland:  A Laboratory For The Symptoms Of Global Warming

Ed. note: This is a new weekly column by Elie Mystal, Managing Editor of Above the Law Redline. This space will focus on the laws that exist, should exist, and should be put out of their misery. OVER-REGULATED Chinese Diplomacy: Let me get this straight: our new “deal” with China involves the U.S. agreeing to… Keep reading →

Rio Hosts Annual Oil And Gas Conference

News broke late last week the world’s second and third largest oil field services providers Halliburton and Baker Hughes were in merger negotiations. The combined company would more effectively compete with Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield service company. The deal briefly went hostile when it was reported over the weekend that Halliburton would make a… Keep reading →

Fracking In California Under Spotlight As Some Local Municipalities Issue Bans

The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday that oil services giants Halliburton and Baker Hughes were involved in “quickly progressing” merger negotiations, which caused shares of both firms to jump. “The Journal, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter, said talks were progressing quickly and a deal could come soon.” [Fuel Fix] A new study using… Keep reading →

Northeast Debates Benefits And Dangers Of Hydrofracking

The US Northeast has traditionally been saddled with some of the country’s highest natural gas prices. But with production growth in the region exceeding expectations, a resulting gas glut could push regional prices down below those at other trading points around the US, according to Barclays. Barclays data shows that output from the Marcellus shale,… Keep reading →

Senate Democrats Hold Hearing On Contractors In Iraq

Some of the world’s leading oil field service companies are accused of anticompetitive behavior in which the firms allegedly colluded to manipulate the hydraulic fracturing services market. The companies face a class action lawsuit under the Sherman Antitrust Act. “The class action complaint alleges that major oilfield services companies conspired to manipulate the market for… Keep reading →


The largest energy services companies are set to benefit from a focus on oil drilling in the US as the shale oil boom in North America continues, analysts at Barclays claim, even as drilling for natural gas in shale – largely an “efficiency game” – becomes commoditized.

Much has been made of the boom in development of both oil and natural gas fields in the US, stemming from advances in the efficiency and deployment of hydraulic fracturing. That technological advance has created a price dynamic that weighs on the very industry that has taken advantage of it, while comparatively high global oil prices have made drilling for crude – a more complicated business – more attractive. Keep reading →