Bloomberg US oil and natural gas producers added jobs in December and January as drillers continued to return to the well pad with crude prices holding near 18 month highs, according to US jobs data on Friday. Oil and gas extraction jobs increased by 100 to 177,400 in January, while support services jobs increased by 600 to 195,200 in …

  Bloomberg The oil industry’s struggle through the worst slump in a generation showed signs of easing, with Royal Dutch Shell Plc managing to reduce its record debt for the first time since the downturn began. Rising oil prices and billions in cost cuts allowed Europe’s largest energy company and fellow giant Exxon Mobil Corp. to generate enough cash to …

Bloomberg The exchange that’s home to Brent crude futures hired a consultant to discuss with traders, banks and other market participants measures to revamp how North Sea oil prices are calculated. Intercontinental Exchange Inc. (ICE) hired Energex Partners, founded by former Morgan Stanley oil traders, to discuss potential changes to the multi-layered North Sea market that includes both physical and …