Tom Biracree

Given that the Iran war-driven surge in oil prices doubled Q1 E&P profits, a surge in capex to capture fatter cash flows seemed like a sure thing, but that would have been a losing bet. Today, we review oil and gas producers’ investment and production guidance and analyze potential future strategy.

The energy industry touts vast U.S. oil and gas resources, but increasingly limited volumes that can be practically and profitably developed have left producers struggling to replace proven reserves. Today, we analyze the trends that are limiting the industry’s ability to ramp up future output.

The roiling of global energy markets by war in the Middle East has magnified the importance of domestic oil output and heightened interest in capital spending. Today, we look at the 2026 forecasts and offer some far-too-early speculation about the industry response to the recent surge in oil prices.

The U.S. midstream sector experienced a massive infrastructure buildout in the 2010s, followed by a sharp pullback after 2020, and then a new era of financial discipline and deleveraging. Now, AI-propelled power load growth and a wave of LNG export expansion are pushing midstream capex higher again.

Given the recent media focus on AI and the surge of data center construction, it comes as no surprise that the electric utility industry’s capital investment has risen to record highs. What isn’t as widely publicized is the enormous strain this historic expansion has placed on utility balance sheets.