When asked if he was worried about U.S. shale producers ramping
production and eclipsing the recent international cuts, Novak said, «Undoubtedly the joint action by many
countries to achieve the balance and to reduce the output are aimed at giving stability to the market and as a result we see a great level
of investment, lower volatility, prices stabilizing at a certain level, which does play
out to
move investment going into shale
production so one needs to assess the overall supply and demand balance.»
But the downside is that many U.S. companies have found it challenging, if not impossible, to compete with overseas companies whose operating expenses are a fraction
of the cost, forcing them to shut down or
move production out of the
country.