US Oil Mergers Drop to $12 Billion as Volatility Limits Deals

US Oil Mergers Drop to $12 Billion as Volatility Limits Deals
A horizontal drilling rig on a lease owned by Parsley Energy operates at sunrise in the Permian Basin near Midland, Texas, on Aug. 24, 2018. Nick Oxford/Reuters
Reuters
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NEW YORK—U.S. oil and gas dealmaking fell to $12 billion last quarter, down from the first quarter and nearly a third of the $34.8 billion in the same period a year ago, as commodity price volatility left buyers and sellers clashing over asset values, according to data released by energy analytics firm Enverus on Thursday.

“The spike in commodity prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine temporarily stalled M&A as buyers and sellers disagreed on the value of assets,” said Andrew Dittmar, a director at Enverus Intelligence Research.