U.S. oil drillers slowed the pace of a months-long expansion as investors worry that growing shale production will ruin OPEC’s efforts to prop up prices. Drillers added 5 rigs targeting crude this week, bringing the total to 688, according to Baker Hughes Inc. data reported Friday. While all four of the biggest oil basins boosted activity this week, the handful of rigs added is the smallest amount of growth in nearly two months. The number of working rigs has more than doubled from a 2016 low of 316 in May, often expanding weekly by double digits, with as many as 29 rigs added during one week in January. Crude dropped below $50 Friday on concerns that surging U.S. production could undermine OPEC’s efforts to reduce global supplies. “It’s not surprising to see the rig count continue to build from the carryover from recently higher commodity prices,” Luke Lemoine, an […]