Words of Caution on Energy ETFs

Last month “Chevron announced earlier this month it would cut capital spending by 24 percent in 2016 to $26.6 billion. The company will not issue production forecasts until it reports earnings in January, but management previously said it expects output growth of 13 to 15 percent — about 2.9 million to 3 million barrels per day — by the end of 2017,” according to CNBC.

“Royal Dutch Shell Plc had its debt rating cut to the lowest since Standard & Poor’s began coverage in 1990, and downgrades of several other major European oil and gas companies will probably follow in coming weeks,” reports Bloomberg.

In the ETF space, traders have been increasing bullish bets on a potential rebound in energy prices. For instance, the United States Oil Fund (NYSEArca: USO), which tracks West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures, has attracted $875.9 million in net inflows so far this year, according to ETF.com.

Energy Select Sector SPDR