The crude oil contract for August gained 27¢ to settle at $45.95/bbl on the New York Mercantile Exchange on July 15. The September contract gained 23¢ to close at $46.65/bbl. The natural gas contract for August was up a rounded 3¢ to a rounded $2.76/MMbtu. The Henry Hub gas price was $2.67/MMbtu, down 10¢ on July 15.

First-quarter 2016 financial results from U.S. onshore producers reveal an improving balance between capital expenditure and operating cash flow. Although operating cash flow was the lowest in any quarter in the past five years, larger reductions to capital expenditure brought these companies closest to self-finance (when capital investment can be paid for entirely from operating cash flow). With crude oil prices such as the global benchmark Brent price averaging over $45 per barrel in the second quarter—a 34% increase from first-quarter 2016—cash flow may improve and help offset declining revenue from lower production.

U.S. oil production down 99 tbd, gas production down 417 mcfd.

The crude oil contract for August on the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 93¢ on July 14 to settle at $45.68/bbl. The September contract climbed 98¢ to $46.42/bbl. The natural gas contract for August was down 1¢ to a rounded $2.73/MMbtu. The Henry Hub gas price was $2.77/MMbtu, down 4¢ on July 14.

The crude oil contract for August on the New York Mercantile Exchange plunged $2.05 on July 13 to settle at $44.75/bbl. The September contract dipped $2.13 to $45.44/bbl. The natural gas contract for August was up a fraction of a cent to $2.74/MMbtu. The Henry Hub gas price was $2.81/MMbtu, up 6¢ on July 13.

The worldwide rig count for June 2016 was 1,407, up 2 from the 1,405 counted in May 2016, and down 729 from the 2,136 counted in June 2015.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 10 fast-growing members, with a combined $2.6 trillion economy, dire energy needs and rising military budgets, are a prime market for Russia’s top exports: hydrocarbons, energy technology and weapons.

The world’s top energy exporter is enduring the longest economic downturn of Putin’s 16-year rule. It relies on crude oil export duties and extraction taxes for about 23 percent of its budget. The government is running the widest deficit since 2010 after a slump in oil prices and is looking for options to cover the gap, including selling state assets, cutting spending and discussing a tax overhaul.

Eni engineering and construction subsidiary Saipem on Thursday announced the award of offshore engineering and construction contracts with a combined value of more than USD 1.5 billion, including work related to the Zohr gasfield development project in Egyptian waters.

In the week ending Monday, the average UK pump price of unleaded gasoline (ULSP) was 111.65p/liter, up 0.21 p/liter week on week. The price of diesel (ULSD) was 112.86 p/liter, up 0.30 p/liter on the week.