US shale oil companies are expected to lay out cautious plans to keep spending and production increases to a minimum in the months ahead when the sector’s third-quarter earnings season kicks off in earnest this week.
The combination of lackluster crude prices, steel tariffs, OPEC+ supply hikes and aging basins have created an environment of restraint in oil fields from North Dakota to West Texas, according to the service companies hired by producers to frack and drill wells.
“Looking ahead to 2026, early indicators point to another year of subdued activity, possibly leading to another year of global upstream spending ...