Companies signed deals totalling $79.9 billion in the six months through June of this year, down from $113.2 billion in the comparable 2012 period.
Natural gas prices, which had previously dropped below $2 per million Btu, have also "firmed up", with spot prices for Henry Hub at $3.83 in June, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Companies also found flexibility with bank terms, avoiding "forced sales".
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