With oil prices below $50/b, 2019 still uncertain Prices are minimum required for output growth: Platts Analytics Producer fiscal discipline seen persisting into new year Houston — As the price of WTI continues to hover in perilous territory below $50/b, most experts see US crude oil production growth rates trending lower this year, especially if prices get stuck around current levels. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now A nail-biting selloff in crude prices is coming at a time when most upstream companies are mapping out their capital budgets for the new year. From recent highs in the mid-$70s/b three months ago, oil has hovered in the mid-$40s/b for two weeks. NYMEX front-month crude futures settled Thursday just above $47/b. While visibility on oil prices remains cloudy, crude watchers say knowing more about upstream activity and production plans for 2019 would at least […]