Chesapeake Energy, a top U.S. natural gas producer, began laying off employees this week after completing the divestiture of its oil assets last year, the company said on Monday. This week's layoffs follow its divestment of its Eagle Ford assets, not the company's pending merger with Southwestern Energy, Chesapeake said. Chesapeake in 2022 said it would exit the Eagle Ford shale field in south Texas, making it a pure-play natural gas producer.
With natural gas price action remaining positive but volatile, we recommend investors hold onto companies with strong fundamentals, such as CTRA and LNG.
SUPPLY AND DEMAND Financial firm LSEG said gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states fell to an average of 97.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in May, down from 98.1 bcfd in April. On a daily basis, output rose about 1.9 bcfd over the past five days to a four-week high of 98.0 bcfd on Sunday with the return from maintenance of some gas pipes in Texas from a 15-week low of 96.1 bcfd on May 7.