API announced that estimated wells completed in the third quarter of 2017 increased 63 percent compared to the third quarter of 2016. This includes a dramatic 84 percent increase for all oil wells completed from year-ago levels.

Global benchmark Brent crude LCOc1 was down 2 cents at $55.60 a barrel at 11:31 a.m. EDT (1531 GMT). Earlier in the session it touched a three-week low of $55.06. It ended last week 3.3 percent lower, its biggest weekly loss since June 2017. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures CLc1 were trading at $49.46, up 17 cents. They came close to a four-week low when they fell to $49.13 earlier in the session. WTI’s losses last week came to 4.6 percent.

Nasser said vast opportunities for collaboration between companies from Saudi Arabia and Russia are created by both the Kingdom’s existing economic pillars and the development and diversification envisaged by Saudi Vision 2030.

Baker Hughes, a GE company (NYSE:BHGE) announced today that the Baker Hughes international rig count for September 2017 was 931, down 21 from the 952 counted in August 2017, and down 3 from the 934 counted in September 2016. The international offshore rig count for September 2017 was 190, down 11 from the 201 counted in August 2017, and down 31 from the 221 counted in September 2016.

U.S. Rig Count is up 412 rigs from last year's count of 524, with oil rigs up 320, gas rigs up 93, and miscellaneous rigs down 1 to 2. Canada Rig Count is up 44 rigs from last year's count of 165, with oil rigs up 25 and gas rigs up 19.

Global benchmark Brent crude futures were up 7 cents at $57.07 a barrel at 0848 GMT. Week on week, the contract was set for a near 1 percent loss, snapping a five-week winning streak that was the longest since June 2016. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was at $50.59, down 20 cents. It was set to close the week down more than 2 percent, the biggest weekly loss in three months.

As the world's two largest oil producers, Saudi Arabia and Russia have led the 24-country OPEC/non-OPEC coalition in its 1.8 million b/d supply cut, which is scheduled to end in March.

"Brazil is a core area for Statoil where our ambition is to deliver safe and sustainable growth in a significant energy market. Entering into solar in Brazil adds to the positions we have already in the producing Peregrino oil field and in the offshore licenses BM-S-8 and BM-C-33 which include the yet to be developed discoveries Carcará and Pão de Açúcar respectively. We are excited to have entered our first solar project with an experienced partner like Scatec Solar," says Irene Rummelhoff, Executive Vice President of New Energy Solutions in Statoil.

We will continue to focus on our $24 billion near-term capital program which is expected to generate growth in earnings and cash flow to support an expected annual dividend growth rate at the upper end of an eight to 10 per cent range through 2020.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures CLc1 were at $50.16 per barrel at 0648 GMT, down 26 cents, or 0.5 percent, from their last close. They fell below $50 per barrel earlier in the session. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down 22 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $55.78 a barrel.