Shale Oil

Oil production, particularly from shale basins, is accelerating towards an earlier-than-anticipated peak or plateau due to stagnant oil prices and ongoing economic and trade uncertainties.

Goldman Sachs analysts, analyzing US President Donald Trump's social media posts, suggest that his preferred range for crude oil prices is between $40 and $50/b.

As production growth in the US Permian Basin shows signs of slowing due to rising costs and depletion of prime acreage, Canada's Montney Formation in Alberta and British Columbia is increasingly viewed as North America's next major shale play.

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the US shale industry, which started strongly in 2025, have decelerated due to falling oil prices and anxieties surrounding trade tariffs.

Shale executive Bryan Sheffield, of Formentera Partners LP and son of Pioneer Natural Resources founder Scott Sheffield, has reportedly called for an immediate halt to drilling by US shale producers.

Argentina's state-owned YPF SA announced a $3.3B investment in the Vaca Muerta shale formation for 2025, strategically focusing all drilling operations on oil wells to capitalize on Argentina's most profitable upstream sector.

US shale producers could increase production even at $50/b, driven by continuous innovation and efficiency gains, according to US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.

Argentina's President Javier Milei's austerity measures are showing promising results, with inflation decreasing and economic growth returning, attracting foreign investors to the Vaca Muerta shale.

Argentina’s oil production is set to grow significantly as new pipeline capacity comes online, enabling increased output from the Vaca Muerta shale play.

The US energy major has revealed that it will reduce its capital expenditure (capex) for its operations in the Permian Basin in 2025, as part of a broader strategy to prioritize free cash flow over production growth.