Exxon, Chevron output booms

Steady profits: Cars are seen at an Exxon gas station in Brooklyn, New York City. The company revealed that production from its massive oil development in Guyana in the first quarter surged 70% from a year earlier. — Reuters

NEW YORK: If you want to understand why the two largest US oil companies are together spending in excess of US$100bil on acquisitions right now, look no further than the amount of crude they’re extracting from the two hottest oil fields on the planet.

Exxon Mobil Corp and Chevron Corp, which reported earnings last Friday, are both predicting their production in the Permian Basin – the US region that already supplies more oil than Iraq – will increase by 10% this year.