US rig count up two as prices slide

The rig count in the Permian Basin was up one this week, the latest count Friday by Baker Hughes shows, with 350 rigs active in the region. A year ago, 237 rigs were active in the region.

Nationally, the oil and gas rig count is up two from last week at 752 rigs. A year ago, 479 rigs were active. The count shows that 597 rigs sought oil, up two from the previous week, and 153 explored for natural gas, unchanged from the previous week.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981. It bottomed out in August of 2020 at 244.

The regional benchmark Plains-West Texas Intermediate Posting ended Friday at $101.27 per barrel, down $3.64 from last Friday’s close. National benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude ended at $104.79 per barrel, down $3.64 from the previous week.