The U.S. current account deficit decreased to $113.0 billion (preliminary) in the third quarter of 2016 from $118.3 billion (revised) in the second quarter of 2016, according to statistics released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The deficit decreased to 2.4 percent of current-dollar gross domestic product (GDP) from 2.6 percent in the second quarter.

President-elect Donald Trump named the head of Exxon Mobil Corp, Rex Tillerson, as his choice for U.S. secretary of state on Tuesday and won backing from some Republican foreign policy figures ahead of a possible Senate fight over the oilman's ties to Russia.

December 2016 U.S. oil production will down 20 tbd, gas production will down 94 mcfd.

U.S. Rig Count is down 85 rigs from last year's count of 709, with oil rigs down 26, gas rigs down 60, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 56 rigs from last year's count of 174, with oil rigs up 44, gas rigs up 11, and miscellaneous rigs up 1.

The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, through the Department of Commerce, announced today that the goods and services deficit was $42.6 billion in October, up $6.4 billion from $36.2 billion in September.

The auction of the deepwater blocks, four in the Perdido Fold belt near the US side of the Gulf and six in the unexplored Salina basin further south, marked the culmination of the first round of auctions since Mexico enacted a sweeping reform to open a sector closed to private exploration and production for nearly 80 years.

Shares in US oil companies soared on Wednesday as Opec ministers meeting in Vienna agreed a plan to cut output by 1.2m barrels per day. “The biggest beneficiaries from this Opec move are the US shale players,” said Mike Kelly, head of exploration and production company research at Seaport Global Securities.

U.S. Rig Count is down 151 rigs from last year's count of 744, with oil rigs down 81, gas rigs down 71, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is down 10 rigs from last year's count of 184, with oil rigs up 13, gas rigs down 25, and miscellaneous rigs up 2.

A particularly important aspect of this consolidation pertains to reforms in PEMEX, the state-owned oil company. Earlier this month, PEMEX released a five-year business plan that aims at turning the company profitable by 2020, through efficiency improvements and a focus on high-return activities.

Tesco reported a U.S. GAAP net loss of $22.1 million, or $(0.48) per share, for the third quarter ended September 30, 2016. Our adjusted net loss for the quarter was $17.3 million, or $(0.37) per share, excluding special items, consisting primarily of several charges related to inventory and restructuring costs. This compares to a U.S. GAAP net loss of $18.9 million, or $(0.47) per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2016, and a U.S. GAAP net loss of $19.9 million, or $(0.51) per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2015. Adjusted net loss in the second quarter of 2016 was $15.8 million, or $(0.39) per diluted share, and in the third quarter of 2015 was $12.5 million, or $(0.32) per diluted share.

Domestic crude oil production in October was higher compared to the prior month, but was lower than the prior year, and the prior year to date. At an average of 8.6 million barrels per day, U.S. crude oil production in October decreased 8.0 percent from October 2015, but increased from September by 0.2 percent. October’s crude oil production was the third highest since 1985 and the second highest year to date in 31 years, since 1985.

U.S. Rig Count is down 169 rigs from last year's count of 757, with oil rigs down 93, gas rigs down 77, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is up 18 rigs from last year's count of 166, with oil rigs up 33 and gas rigs down 15.

U.S. oil production down 20 tbd, gas production down 94 mcfd.

The downturn produced a leaner, more efficient U.S. shale industry that was forced to develop and quickly adapt new technology to compete with conventional oil supplies during a two-year period of depressed prices.

U.S. Rig Count is down 199 rigs from last year's count of 767, with oil rigs down 122, gas rigs down 78, and miscellaneous rigs up 1. Canadian Rig Count is unchanged from last year's count of 176, with oil rigs up 21 and gas rigs down 21.