US shale players are expected to focus investments on drawing down the large inventory of drilled and uncompleted wells at the start of the year, with the market still feeling the effects of the steep oil price drop in last year’s fourth quarter, writes Eoin O'Cinneide.
Oilfield services rivals Schlumberger and Halliburton, which both reported increased full-year profits within the past week, have each warned of weakness in the North American onshore sector in the first quarter, but also pointed to longer-term growth prospects — albeit possibly at lower levels than in recent years.
