據油價網2021年7月22日報道，美國石油和天然氣行業正在從去年的市場低迷中逐步復蘇。 但與以往的盛衰周期不同的是，美國油氣行業一直在推遲提高產量，而專注于加強資產負債表、償還貸款和回報股東。 由于今年大宗商品價格上漲，以及最重要的資本支出紀律，美國頁巖探區現在的財務狀況變得更強。 近幾個月來，破產數量減少，而且破產間隔也大大縮短，能源貸款違約率已降至去年3月和4月石油市場崩潰以來的最低水平。
此外，低利率促使許多美國石油和天然氣公司籌集新債務，其中大部分用于償還現有債務，而不是鉆探更多井。
美國能源行業違約大幅下降
一項指標顯示，近幾個月來，美國石油和天然氣行業的貸款和債券的信貸質量有了顯著改善。
惠譽國際評級7月21日在一份報告中稱，7月份美國能源行業過去12個月的違約率為9.1%。 能源行業違約率自去年4月以來首次降至兩位數以下。 惠譽國際評級指出，7月份能源行業違約率也從3月份20.3%的峰值大幅下降。
惠譽國際評級表示，較低違約和較高油價將進一步推動能源行業違約率在今年年底前降至5%。 惠譽國際評級的數據顯示，與去年規模超過15億美元的發行機構多達4起違約相比，今年的違約規模將會較小。
相比之下，去年這個時候，惠譽國際評級估計，截至去年的能源行業違約率為18%。 僅在去年第二季度，能源行業就產生了50億美元的違約。
惠譽國際評級預計，“未來幾個月不會有很多破產”。 惠譽國際評級杠桿融資高級主管埃里克·羅森塔爾告訴《福布斯》資深撰稿人Mayra Rodriguez Valladares：“我們的最關注市場貸款中只有2%與能源有關。”
惠譽國際評級的數據顯示，今年能源行業債券違約率也大幅下降。
羅森塔爾告訴Rodriguez Valladares，“能源債券僅占我們最關注市場債券的10%，低于一年前的57%。到目前為止，只有32億美元的高收益能源違約，而去年同期為144億美元。
能源企業破產速度放緩
由于債務不可持續的公司已經在過去一年申請破產，而其他公司則在用創紀錄的現金流償還債務，今年能源行業違約率將大幅下降。
今年第一季度北美生產商申請破產保護的數量達到了2016年第一季度以來的最高數量，然而破產速度顯著放緩，自去年第二和第三季度達到峰值以來，破產浪潮已明顯放緩。美國律師事務所haynes and Boone 在截至3月31日的最新統計報告中說，盡管今年第一季度破產的數量高于自2016年以來的第一季度，在去年第二季度和第三季度分別有18家和17家石油和天然氣生產商提交破產保護申請以后，申請數量呈放緩趨勢，負債累累的生產商在這兩個季度里受到石油價格暴跌和負債危機最嚴重影響。
美國頁巖探區企業將再次舉債
美國石油和天然氣公司正利用高油價和歷史低位利率尋求融資。
美國能源信息署（EIA）4月份曾稱，油價上漲和低利率促使美國獨立上市石油生產商在3月通過債券和股票發行融資，創下去年8月以來的最高紀錄。
這一次，借入的資金見被用于償還先前提取的信貸安排或債券，而不是用于無休止地鉆探新井和追逐創紀錄的產量增長。
EIA表示：“自原油價格開始上漲以來，美國原油生產商一直在通過舉債和股權融資來為債務再融資、恢復鉆井活動或購買新探區。”
EIA指出，低企業債券利息也有助于降低新債泉利率，降低新債券發行成本。
歷史上低利率給了美國頁巖鉆井公司額外的激勵，促使他們增加新的債務并為現有債務再融資。 據彭博情報稱，目前美國能源部門發行新債券的成本與7年前一樣低，而當時油價為每桶100美元。
資本紀律將維持多久?
正如石油巨富哈羅德?哈姆在2017年警告的那樣，今年到目前為止，美國油氣公司一直堅持資本紀律的承諾，他們更愿意向投資者展示資金，讓自己“被遺忘”。
油價上漲和預計將創紀錄的現金流有望在今年修復許多頁巖生產商的資產負債表。
挪威雷斯塔能源公司在7月早些時候的一份分析報告中表示，即使美國頁巖想要大幅提高產量以應對每桶70美元的油價，他們也需要至少9個月的時間才能看到產量的顯著增長。
在評論6月底發布的《第二季度達拉斯聯儲能源調查》報告以后，一家勘探和生產公司的高管可能總結了今年美國頁巖探區的座右銘：
“別上當，鉆井商：堅持資金紀律以及享受你們產品的更高價格。”
李峻 編譯自 油價網
原文如下：
U.S. Shale Sees Light At The End Of The Tunnel
The U.S. oil and gas sector is recovering from last year’s market slump. But unlike the previous boom-and-bust cycles, the industry has held off on boosting production and has focused on strengthening balance sheets, repaying loans, and rewarding shareholders. As a result of the rallying commodity prices this year, and most of all, the discipline in capital spending, the U.S. shale patch is now financially stronger. Bankruptcies have been fewer and far apart in recent months, and the energy loan default rate has dropped to the lowest level since the oil market crashed in March and April last year.
In addition, low interest rates have prompted many U.S. oil and gas firms to raise new debt, most of which goes to repaying existing liabilities, not to drilling more wells.
U.S. Energy Defaults Drop Significantly
One indicator shows that the credit quality of the loans and bonds in the U.S. oil and gas sector has significantly improved in recent months.
The energy sector’s trailing twelve-month (TTM) default rate stood at 9.1 percent in July, Fitch Ratings said in a report on Wednesday. The energy default rate has fallen below the double-digit percentage for the first time since April 2020. The default rate is also considerably down from the 20.3-percent peak in March, Fitch Ratings noted.
Smaller defaults and higher oil prices are set to further push the energy default rate down to 5 percent by the end of this year, the rating agency says. This year will see smaller defaults compared with as many as four defaults of $1.5 billion-plus size issuers in 2020, according to Fitch Ratings.
To compare, at this time last year, Fitch Ratings was estimating the energy default rate to finish the year 2020 at 18 percent. In the second quarter of 2020 alone, energy generated $5 billion of defaults.
This year, Fitch Ratings does not expect “many bankruptcies coming in the next few months. only 2% of our Top Market Concern Loans relates to energy,” Eric Rosenthal, Senior Director of Leveraged Finance at Fitch Ratings, told Forbes’ Senior Contributor Mayra Rodriguez Valladares.
Defaults on bonds have also significantly dropped this year, according to Fitch Ratings.
“Energy makes up only 10% of our Top Market Concern Bonds list, down from 57% as of one year ago. There has been only $3.2 billion of YTD high yield energy defaults compared with $14.4 billion for the same period in 2020,” Rosenthal told Rodriguez Valladares.
Energy Bankruptcies Slow Down
This year, the default rate is considerably down, as companies with unsustainable liabilities have already filed for bankruptcy over the past year, while the others are using record cash flows to pay down debts.
The number of North American producers that filed for bankruptcy protection in the first quarter of 2021 reached the highest number for a first-quarter since 2016, yet the wave of bankruptcies has significantly slowed since the peaks in the second and third quarter of 2020, law firm Haynes and Boone said in its latest tally to March 31. Even though the number of first-quarter 2021 bankruptcies was the highest for a Q1 since 2016, it showed the trend of slowing filings after 18 oil and gas producers filed in the second quarter of 2020 and another 17 in the third quarter, the two quarters in which the oil price crash and the crisis were most severely felt by indebted producers.
The U.S. Shale Patch Is Borrowing Again
U.S. oil and gas firms are taking advantage of the high oil prices and historically low-interest rates to seek financing.
Higher oil prices and low-interest rates have prompted listed independent U.S. oil producers to raise in March the most financing via debt and equity issues since August last year, the EIA said in April.
This time around, the borrowed money is being used for repayment of previously drawn credit facilities or bonds, not for relentless drilling of new wells and chasing record production growth.
“Since crude oil prices began increasing, U.S. crude oil producers have been raising debt and equity to refinance debts, resume drilling activities, or purchase acreage,” the EIA said.
Low corporate bond yields have also contributed to lower interest rates on new bonds and reduce the cost of issuing debt, the EIA noted.
Historically low interest rates give additional incentives to U.S. shale drillers to raise new debt and refinance existing liabilities. Currently, it’s as cheap for the U.S. energy sector to raise new debt as it was seven years ago, when oil was $100 per barrel, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.
How Long Will Discipline Hold?
So far this year, U.S. oil and gas firms have been sticking with promises of capital discipline and prefer to show investors the money to drilling themselves “into oblivion,” as Harold Hamm warned back in 2017.
Higher oil prices and expected record cash flows could heal the balance sheets of many shale producers this year.
Even if U.S. shale wanted to significantly raise production in response to $70 oil, it would take at least nine months to see a meaningful jump in output, Rystad Energy said in ananalysis earlier this month.
One executive at an E&P firm may have summed up this year’s motto of the U.S. shale patch in the following comment in the Dallas Fed Energy Survey Q2 published at the end of June:
“Don’t take the bait, drillers: Stay capital disciplined and enjoy the higher prices for your product.”
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