It’s been five years since crude started a precipitous drop that eventually saw it hit a low of $26 a barrel and shale producers are still feeling the pain. (Bloomberg) — It’s been five years since crude started a precipitous drop that eventually saw it hit a low of $26 a barrel. While prices have recovered some of the lost ground, shale producers are still feeling the pain. Oil’s 76% collapse from almost $108 a barrel in June 2014 was the worst plunge since the financial crisis of 2008. Below are some data points on how the industry has fared since. In 2014, oil and gas companies made up almost 11% of the S&P 500 Index. Now, that’s just over 5% as some investors appear to have given up on the sector. Shareholder antipathy stems at least in part from questions over the profitability of shale drilling. While the […]