The UK-listed oil majors both said they were planning for prices per barrel in the low $50s in 2017 — only a little above current levels — in a sign of the industry adapting to “lower-for-longer” market conditions.

London Brent crude for December delivery LCOc1 was down 29 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $49.42 a barrel by 0750 GMT after settling down 76 cents on Friday. NYMEX crude for December delivery CLc1 was trading down 29 cents, or 0.6 percent, at $48.41 a barrel, after closing down $1.02 on Friday.

Негативное воздействие низких цен, проявившееся в серьезном сокращении инвестиций в нефтедобычу, будет продолжаться третий год подряд, что станет беспрецедентной ситуацией.

Brent crude LCOc1 was up 22 cents at $50.20 a barrel as of 0845 GMT (4:45 a.m. ET), after falling in the last three days. U.S. crude gained 10 cents to $49.28.

The North American market has continued to "grind slowly upwards" as the rig count, particularly in the US, ticks ahead from troughs seen six months ago, Martin Craighead said during a quarterly conference call with analysts. But "customers need to be more confident of the durability of those prices before making any significant change to their spending patterns," Craighead said.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down 51 cents, or 1 percent, at $50.28 a barrel as of 0648 GMT. Prices hit $50.13 earlier in the session, the lowest since Oct. 3. U.S. crude CLc1 was at $49.37 per barrel, down 59 cents, or 1.2 percent, from its settlement on Tuesday. It dropped to $49.21 earlier, the lowest since Oct. 10.

Big companies responded with big cuts. BP, Eni and their peers cut exploration spending by 35% in 2015 compared with 2013, Wood Mackenzie’s data show. Many projects now focus on lower-risk, lower-reward prospects as companies hope for incremental gains near existing infrastructure that they can bring online quickly and cheaply.

The World Bank is raising its 2017 forecast for crude oil prices to $55 per barrel from $53 per barrel as members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) prepare to limit production after a long period of unrestrained output.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down 18 cents at $51.60 a barrel by 0725 ET. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was down 37 cents at $50.48.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 was trading at $50.59 a barrel at 0652 GMT, down 4 cents from its last settlement. Brent crude futures LCOc1 were up 7 cents at $51.45 per barrel.