On June 16, 2025, the Brent crude oil price stood at 72.89 U.S. dollars per barrel, compared to 71.77 U.S. dollars for WTI oil and 73.15 U.S. dollars for the OPEC basket. Crude oil prices rose slightly compared to the previous week.Europe's Brent crude oil, the U.S. WTI crude oil, and OPEC's basket are three of the most important benchmarks used by traders as reference for oil and gasoline prices. Lowest ever oil prices during coronavirus pandemic In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic resulted in crude oil prices hitting a major slump as oil demand drastically declined following lockdowns and travel restrictions. Initial outlooks and uncertainty surrounding the course of the pandemic brought about a disagreement between two of the largest oil producers, Russia and Saudi Arabia, in early March. Bilateral talks between global oil producers ended in agreement on April 13th, with promises to cut petroleum output and hopes rising that these might help stabilize the oil price in the coming weeks. However, with storage facilities and oil tankers quickly filling up, fears grew over where to store excess oil, leading to benchmark prices seeing record negative prices between April 20 and April 22, 2020. How crude oil prices are determined As with most commodities, crude oil prices are impacted by supply and demand, as well as inventories and market sentiment. However, as oil is most often traded in future contracts (whereby a contract is agreed upon, while the product delivery will follow in the next two to three months), market speculation is one of the principal determinants for oil prices. Traders make conclusions on how production output and consumer demand will likely develop over the coming months, leaving room for uncertainty. Spot prices differ from futures in so far as they reflect the current market price of a commodity.

On April 20th, 2020, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil slumped into negative for the first time in history, falling to negative 37.63 U.S. dollars per barrel. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on the global oil and gas industry. Declining consumer demand and high levels of production output are threatening to exceed oil storage capacities, which resulted in the lowest ever oil prices noted between April 20th and April 22nd.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Fact and Figures page.

Oil shocks exert influence on macroeconomic activity through various channels, many of which imply a symmetric effect. However, the effect can also be asymmetric. In particular, sharp oil price changes "either increases or decreases" may reduce aggregate output temporarily because they delay business investment by raising uncertainty or induce costly sectoral resource reallocation. Consistent with these asymmetric-effect hypotheses, the authors find that a volatility measure constructed using daily crude oil futures prices has a negative and significant effect on future gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the period 1984-2004. Moreover, the effect becomes more significant after oil price changes are also included in the regression to control for the symmetric effect. The evidence here provides economic rationales for Hamilton's (2003) nonlinear oil shock measure: It captures overall effects, both symmetric and asymmetric, of oil price shocks on output.

The average spot price for West Texas Intermediate crude oil came to 76.63 U.S. dollars per barrel in 2024, a decrease of nearly one U.S. dollars compared to the previous year. The 2024 average spot price for Brent crude oil was 80.52 U.S. dollars. Both Brent and WTI are light crude oils, with the first used as a benchmark for gasoline prices around the world. Spot prices vs. future prices Spot prices refer to current market prices under which a commodity such as one barrel of crude oil may be bought for immediate delivery. In contrast, future prices refer to settlement and delivery at a later date. As a major refinery and storage hub, Cushing in Oklahoma is the delivery location for WTI traded via the New York Mercantile Exchange. When storage capacities threatened to reach their maximum capacity in April 2020, the WTI oil price crashed as a result, trading at record low prices. The WTI oil price fell into negative numbers for the first time in its history, closing out at negative 37.63 U.S. dollars per barrel on April 20th. The lowest value for Brent prices was 19.33 U.S. dollars per barrel. Influences on oil prices Oil prices are volatile commodities as their trading and delivery is heavily influenced by overall market development and geopolitical events. For example, the Russia-Ukraine war and resulting Russian sanctions brought about fears of supply bottlenecks, which pushed oil prices to decade-highs also reflected in the 2022 annual average.

Crude Oil fell to 67.26 USD/Bbl on August 1, 2025, down 2.89% from the previous day. Over the past month, Crude Oil's price has fallen 0.28%, and is down 8.51% compared to the same time last year, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. Crude Oil - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on August of 2025.

Correlation defined as linear relationship between two variables. Correlation coefficient (r) is used to measure correlation between two variables and its range varies between -1 to +1. There are two types of correlation namely positive and negative. r=+1 represents perfect positive correlation whereas r=-1 represents perfect negative correlation. Positive correlation tells both indicators are moving in same direction for e.g. If prices of crude oil and Natural gas are positively correlated and there is an increase in price of crude oil then price of Natural gas will also increase. On the other hand negative correlation between the same indicators, if there is increase in price of one will decrease the price of others.

In June 2025, the price of Merey crude oil – Venezuela’s reference export blend – averaged ***** U.S. dollars per barrel, down from ***** U.S. dollars per barrel the previous month. Merey crude oil has been part of the OPEC basket since January 2009. A blend of extra-heavy crude oil from the Orinoco belt and lighter grades, Venezuela’s export oil is the heaviest component in the basket, and, in turn, has historically reported the lowest average price in the OPEC basket. The 2020's oil crisis Crude oil prices worldwide dropped dramatically in the first months of 2020, the result of an unprecedented decline in demand as lockdown measures were implemented globally in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. With storage facilities filling up, WTI crude oil reached a record negative price in the third week of April. Since then, prices have seen a mostly continual recovery. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022, prices surged to levels last seen in 2008, with reference oil blends Brent, WTI, and OPEC basket averaging at more than *** U.S. dollars per barrel in summer 2022. Venezuela’s struggling oil sector The global decline in prices brought upon by the pandemic was only the most recent blow to the South American country's oil industry. Despite holding the largest proved oil reserves in the world, Venezuela’s oil production has declined notably. In 2023, it averaged around ******* barrels per day, a third of the level registered a decade earlier. A political and economic crisis as well as resulting U.S. sanctions have led to a rise in oil stocks in the country, affecting both prices and production.

Context

Abstract of associated article: This paper contributes to the debate on the role of oil prices in predicting stock returns. The novelty of the paper is that it considers monthly time-series historical data that span over 150years (1859:10–2013:12) and applies a predictive regression model that accommodates three salient features of the data, namely, a persistent and endogenous oil price, and model heteroscedasticity. Three key findings are unraveled: first, oil price predicts US stock returns. Second, in-sample evidence is corroborated by out-sample evidence of predictability. Third, both positive and negative oil price changes are important predictors of US stock returns, with negative changes relatively more important. Our results are robust to the use of different estimators and choice of in-sample periods.

Acknowledgements

Narayan, Paresh K. (2016), “Data for: Has oil price predicted stock returns for over a century? ”, Mendeley Data, V1, doi: 10.17632/7s446mxhyv.1

License - CC by NC 3.0

The international crude oil price has experienced significant fluctuations over the past 10 years, influenced by factors such as global demand and supply dynamics, geopolitical events, economic conditions, and policy decisions by major oil-producing countries. This article provides an overview of the price movements, starting from an average of $111 per barrel in 2011, declining to lows of negative prices in 2020, and recovering to around $66 per barrel in 2021. The complexities of the global oil market are

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The crude oil market has the potential to grow by 4781.60 million barrels during 2021-2025, and the market’s growth momentum will decelerate at a CAGR of 2.73%.

This crude oil market research report provides valuable insights on the post COVID-19 impact on the market, which will help companies evaluate their business approaches. Furthermore, this report extensively covers market segmentation by production area (onshore and offshore) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America). The report also offers information on several market vendors, including BP Plc, Chevron Corp., and ConocoPhillips Co., among others.

What will the Crude Oil Market Size be in 2021?

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Crude Oil Market: Key Drivers and Trends

Based on our research output, there has been a negative impact on the market growth during and post COVID-19 era. The increasing upstream investment is notably driving the crude oil market growth, although factors such as fluctuations in global crude oil prices may impede market growth. To unlock information on the key market drivers and the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the crude oil industry get your FREE report sample now.

      The rising energy demand across the world has prompted governments to explore untapped oil and gas resources in the upstream sector, using advanced technologies.
      The production of oil and natural gas is declining from many conventional oilfields. To overcome this issue, oil and gas operators are increasing investments in mature oil and gas fields.
      The adoption of unconventional exploration and production technologies in large shale deposits has widened opportunities for upstream oil and gas companies.
      The growing investments in the upstream oil and gas sector will significantly influence crude oil market growth over the forecast period.




      Technological development in the hydraulic fracturing process is aiding in the exploration and production of oil and gas from shale plays.
      The advances in the drilling technology and proppant placement in downhole wells increased hydrocarbon recovery from unconventional wells.
      Technological advances such as integration of the internet of things (IoT) for data acquisition, as well as the use of data analytics and machine learning, supports the efficiency of tools that is one of the key crude oil market trends.
      Real-time pressure data is crucial in crude oil production as it eliminates the over-fracturing issue.
      Automation of hydraulic fracturing optimizes the hydraulic fracturing method using algorithmic controls and supports enhanced well performance.

This crude oil market analysis report also provides detailed information on other upcoming trends and challenges that will have a far-reaching effect on the market growth. Get detailed insights on the trends and challenges, which will help companies evaluate and develop growth strategies.

Who are the Major Crude Oil Market Vendors?

The report analyzes the market’s competitive landscape and offers information on several market vendors, including:

BP Plc
Chevron Corp.
ConocoPhillips Co.
Exxon Mobil Corp.
PetroChina Co. Ltd.
Petroleo Brasileiro SA
Qatar Petroleum
Rosneft Oil Co.
Royal Dutch Shell Plc
Saudi Arabian Oil Co.

The crude oil market is fragmented and the vendors are deploying various organic and inorganic growth strategies to compete in the market. Click here to uncover other successful business strategies deployed by the vendors.

To make the most of the opportunities and recover from post COVID-19 impact, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments.

Download a free sample of the crude oil market forecast report for insights on complete key vendor profiles. The profiles include information on the production, sustainability, and prospects of the leading companies.

Which are the Key Regions for Crude Oil Market?

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44% of the market’s growth will originate from APAC during the forecast period. China, India, and Japan are the key markets for crude oil in APAC. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in Europe, North America, and South America.

To garner further competitive intelligence and regional opportunities in store for vendors, view our sample report.

What are the Revenue-generating Production Area Segments in the Crude Oil Market?

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The crude oil market share growth by the onshore segment will be significant during the forecast period. In onshore exploration and pr

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Crude Oil in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East Africa).

Urals Oil rose to 68.86 USD/Bbl on July 31, 2025, up 0.32% from the previous day. Over the past month, Urals Oil's price has risen 11.84%, but it is still 8.49% lower than a year ago, according to trading on a contract for difference (CFD) that tracks the benchmark market for this commodity. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Urals Crude.

A common conundrum discussed in economic research revolves around the fact that nations endowed with plentiful natural resources often exhibit a lower gross domestic product (GDP). This conundrum is commonly called the "resource curse", where most empirical studies about the effects primarily focused on developed economies. At the same time, limited data is available regarding a burgeoning oil-exporting nation like the Republic of Yemen. This research endeavor aims to investigate the relationship between oil price Changes and Yemen’s economic growth. Utilizing annual data spanning from 1990 to 2019, the study employs the auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) model to establish the long-term connection between oil price volatility and economic growth over both short and long timeframes. This study’s outcomes indicate that oil price Changes have a significant positive relationship with Yemen’s economic growth in both the long and short run. Oil rents show a significant negative relationship with economic growth in both the long and short run. The results of GLM, RLS, and GMM robustness checks are consistent with our model results. Based on these findings, we suggest that Yemen should diversify its economy by investing in agriculture and tourism, and focus on human capital, education, and research and development. These steps could reduce the economy’s dependence on oil and enhance sustainable economic growth. These empirical insights and suggestions are particularly useful for policymakers as they help build sound external and economic policies to sustain long-term economic growth.

Despite their widespread use as predictors of the spot price of oil, oil futures prices tend to be less accurate in the mean-squared prediction error sense than no-change forecasts. This result is driven by the variability of the futures price about the spot price, as captured by the oil futures spread. This variability can be explained by the marginal convenience yield of oil inventories. Using a two-country, multi-period general equilibrium model of the spot and futures markets for crude oil we show that increased uncertainty about future oil supply shortfalls under plausible assumptions causes the spread to decline. Increased uncertainty also causes precautionary demand for oil to increase, resulting in an immediate increase in the real spot price. Thus the negative of the oil futures spread may be viewed as an indicator of fluctuations in the price of crude oil driven by precautionary demand. An empirical analysis of this indicator provides evidence of how shifts in the uncertainty about future oil supply shortfalls affect the real spot price of crude oil.

Replication data for peer-reviewed article published in Journal of Applied Econometrics. Paper published online February 24, 2010.

The author argues that the economic benefits of low gasoline prices for the U.S. economy have fallen substantially since the reemergence of America as a major oil producer. The old rule-of thumb that a 10% fall in the oil price raises inflation-adjusted U.S. GDP by 0.2% is too large—the impact on economic activity should be closer to zero, and may even be negative if consumption grows slowly. The reasons for this change are straightforward, if underappreciated: (i) the value of oil production accounts for a larger share of the U.S. economy; and (ii) consumers are not spending the windfall like they used to because of higher debt levels, limited access to credit, slow wage rowth, and an older population.

This study investigates the relationship between consumer sentiment (CONS), inflation expectations (INEX) and international energy prices, drawing on principles from behavioral. We focus on Brent crude oil price and Henry Hub natural gas prices as key indicators of energy market dynamics. Based on the monthly data from January 2003 to March 2023, three wavelet methods are applied to examine the time-frequency linkage, while the nonlinear distributed lag model (NARDL) is used to verify the asymmetric impact of two factors on energy prices. The results highlight a substantial connection between consumer sentiment, inflation expectations and international energy prices, with the former in the short term and the latter in the medium to long term. Especially, these correlations are particularly pronounced during the financial crisis and global health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 epidemic. Furthermore, we detect short-term asymmetric effects of consumer sentiment and inflation expectations on Brent crude oil price, with the negative shocks dominating. The positive effects of these factors on oil prices contribute to observed long-term asymmetry. In contrast, inflation expectations have short-term and long-run asymmetric effects on natural gas price, and both are dominated by reverse shocks, while the impact of consumer sentiment on natural gas prices appears to be less asymmetric. This study could enrich current theories on the interaction between the international energy market and serve as a supplement to current literature.

The global Silicon Oil market was valued at USD 4.3 billion in 2022 and will reach USD 7.22 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 6.7% for the forecast period 2023-2030.

Growing demand for cosmetics products:

According to the Environmental Working Group study, moderate man uses five to six personal care products, women use ten to twelve, and the average teenage girl uses sixteen personal care products in America. The demand for silicon oil in the cosmetic industry is increasing. Silicon in cosmetic products offers natural lubrication, adding more slip and glide to cosmetics, reducing stickiness on the skin and a sticky feeling in hair, improving hair's softness, and reducing fizziness even in high humidity. Silicone oil and polydimethylsiloxane are used in the production of cosmetics to improve the performance of cosmetics. Hence growing demand for cosmetic products results in increasing demand for the silicon oil market.

High demand across the automobile industry: 

According to the CEIC data, India Motor Vehicles Sales grew by 2.8% in March 2022. The rising income of the middle class and the increased population of youth is rapidly increasing the use of vehicles. Silicon oil is used in vehicles for seat belt lubrication, damper oil for meters, damper material for the interior parts, hard coating agents for plastics, processing, and modification of synthetic leather seats, and in auto paint additives. Hence silicon oil has wide applications in the automobile industry. Increasing demand for silicon oil in the automobile industry will drive the Silicon Oil market.

Growing demand from the textile industry to propel market growth

Restraining Factor:

Volatile prices of raw materials:

The cost and availability of the raw material of silicon oil are highly unstable. The major cause for restraining the growth of the Silicon Oil market is volatile prices. The sudden increase in the prices of raw silicon fluctuates the prices of silicon oil. Fluctuating prices of the raw material harm the market. Hence volatile prices of raw materials hinder the growth of the Silicon Oil market.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Silicon Oil Market:

The outbreak of COVID-19 has witnessed a negative impact on the Silicon Oil market growth. During the pandemic, the government implemented lockdowns in various parts of the country which limited the movement of over 138 crore population of India. The lockdown disrupted the manufacturing of various end-use industries which negatively impacted the Silicon Oil market. As the outbreak of the virus was from China, the Asia-Pacific region has to face major problems regarding manufacturing which altogether hindered the growth of the market in the Asia-Pacific region. Post-pandemic all the activities resumed and witnessed a positive impact. The problems related to manufacturing, labor shortage, and supply chain of industries like automotive, construction, cosmetics, and electronics were online. Hence development in end-use industries boosted the Silicon Oil market after the pandemic. A silicone oil is any liquid polymerized siloxane with organic side chains with relatively high thermal stability and lubricating properties. Silicone oil is a colorless, tasteless, non-toxic, transparent, non-volatile liquid, non-corrosive to metals, low freezing point, and with good water resistance. Silicon oil is used as a damping fluid, thermal bath fluid, lubricant, dielectric fluid, cosmetic products, paint additives, and pharmaceuticals. Silicone oils offer great thermal stability and flexible and flowable forms at extreme temperatures. Silicon oil is used as an antifoaming agent in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries. It is widely used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics as head oil, hair cream, hair-forming agent, solid hair-forming agent, and sunscreen agent. In the electrical and electronic industry, silicon oil is used for high-temperature dielectric liquid. Hence growing demand from all such end-use industries like Automotive, Chemical, Construction, Electronics, Medical, Personal Care, Textile, and Others boost the Silicon Oil market. The fluctuating cost of raw materials hinders the growth of the Silicon Oil market.

Abstract (en): Some analysts and economists recently warned that the United States economy faces a much higher risk of recession should the price of oil rise to $100 per barrel or more. In February 2008, spot crude oil prices closed above $100 per barrel for the first time ever, and since then they have climbed even higher. Meanwhile, according to some surveys of economists, it is highly probable that a recession began in the United States in late 2007 or early 2008. Although the findings in this paper are consistent with the view that the United States economy has become much less sensitive to large changes in oil prices, a simple forecasting exercise using Hamilton's model augmented with the first principal component of 85 macroeconomic variables reveals that a permanent increase in the price of crude oil to $150 per barrel by the end of 2008 could have a significant negative effect on the growth rate of real gross domestic product in the short run. Moreover, the model also predicts that such an increase in oil prices would produce much higher overall and core inflation rates in 2009 than most policymakers expect. A zipped package contains a programming syntax file (text format) and a Microsoft Excel file, which contains the data, tables, and corresponding figures used in the article.These data are part of ICPSR's Publication-Related Archive and are distributed exactly as they arrived from the data depositor. ICPSR has not checked or processed this material. Users should consult the investigators if further information is desired.

In this study, we conducted a wavelet analysis on the dependence between renewable energy indices and Brent oil index (Brent) for the period of 21st November, 2003 till 24th May, 2024. The objective of the paper includes comparing the co-movement of renewable energy stock prices and oil prices during three different crises including the global financial crisis, shale oil crisis and the covid-19 pandemic. We found that the dependence is similar for both Europe and on a global scale during the pre-crises time, where renewable energy prices lead Brent oil prices in the short and medium term. Furthermore, results confirm that there is substitutability between oil prices and renewable energy prices before all crises which shows a positive correlation. The results further show that the short and medium term dependence disappears after the oil crisis and financial crisis which is supported by the sudden loss in demand for oil. These findings show that co-movement changes between the three crises where there is no dependence between the indices after the financial and oil crisis while there is a negative correlation after the covid-19 pandemic. These findings could have significant ramifications for investors seeking to mitigate risks and for policymakers making decisions about supporting the advancement of renewable energy while understanding the change of behaviour between the two crises.

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The floating liquefied natural gas market share is expected to increase by USD 4.68 billion from 2020 to 2025, and the market’s growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.12%.

This floating liquefied natural gas market research report provides valuable insights on the post COVID-19 impact on the market, which will help companies evaluate their business approaches. Furthermore, this report extensively covers floating liquefied natural gas market segmentations by processing capacity (large-scale capacity and small-scale capacity) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA). The floating liquefied natural gas market report also offers information on several market vendors, including Black & Veatch Holding Co., Eni Spa , Excelerate Energy LP, EXMAR NV, Golar LNG Ltd., Lloyds Energy DMCC, Petroliam Nasional Berhad , Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., and TechnipFMC Plc among others.

What will the Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Market Size be During the Forecast Period?

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Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Market: Key Drivers, Trends, and Challenges

Based on our research output, there has been a negative impact on the market growth during and post COVID-19 era. The rising global oil and gas consumption is notably driving the floating liquefied natural gas market growth, although factors such as fluctuations in oil and gas prices may impede the market growth. Our research analysts have studied the historical data and deduced the key market drivers and the COVID-19 pandemic impact on the floating liquefied natural gas industry. The holistic analysis of the drivers will help in deducing end goals and refining marketing strategies to gain a competitive edge.

Key Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Market Driver

Rising global oil and gas consumption is one of the key factors driving the growth of the global floating liquefied natural gas market. Liquid fuel consumption across the globe, especially in emerging economies such as India, China, and Brazil, is expected to grow, owing to the increasing demand for vehicles and a rise in the consumption of petrochemicals. For instance, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), in 2019, the production of petroleum and other liquid fuels in Brazil averaged 3.7 million barrels per day (b/d). Similarly, natural gas consumption has also seen a rise in the last ten years. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), global natural gas consumption increased significantly in 2019. Natural gas has witnessed a higher rise in consumption than oil due to the increasing adoption of natural gas as a fuel. Also, with the increased consumption of fuel from developing economies such as India and China, the demand for LNG is likely to propel during the forecast period, thereby increasing the demand for FLNG projects during the forecast period.

Key Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Market Trend

The rise in the number of deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling projects will fuel the global floating liquefied natural gas market growth. As per the US Energy Information Administration, the oil shock resulted in the decline of crude oil prices in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which was one of the lowest since 2003. Also, the prices of the rigs were reduced due to the fewer number of ongoing projects in the oil and gas industry. Sensing profit through low rig rates, some companies are resuming their offshore projects. FLNG vessels provide the advantages of reduced investments and earlier cash flow compared with fixed platforms. The advantages of FLNG vessels make them ideal for offshore activities. Deepwater and ultra-deepwater projects are also far from the mainland; hence, laying an extensive oil and gas pipeline network to transfer the produced hydrocarbons to onshore facilities is too costly. Therefore, FLNG vessels are economical for deepwater and ultra-deepwater projects, as these vessels can treat, liquefy, and store the natural gas extracted from offshore fields. Operators sell the LNG directly from the vessel and generate revenues. Advances in technology allowed exploring gas reserves that were initially uneconomical. This is likely to drive the global FLNG market during the forecast period.

Key Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Market Challenge

Fluctuations in oil and gas prices are major challenges for the global floating liquefied natural gas market growth. The continued trend of low crude oil prices has put additional pressure on the oil and gas service providers. Low-profit margins for a continued period result in reduced revenues, which directly influence the financial aspect of a company. The market potential for oil and gas service businesses has declined due to the low investments in oil and gas