The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[DewDiligence]

Shell cuts 2016 cap-ex forecast by additional $2B (to $33B) in advance of shareholder votes for BG.L merger:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/shell-lowers-2016-capital-spending-plan-by-2-billion-to-33-billion-1450806361

Royal Dutch Shell PLC on Tuesday cut its planned capital spending for 2016 by $2 billion, to $33 billion, continuing to cope with low oil prices as it moves to complete its acquisition of BG Group PLC early next year.

The spending announcement came as the Anglo-Dutch oil company published several key documents on its website in preparation for the main remaining hurdle to the deal: a shareholder vote, scheduled to take place in January. In the months since the deal was announced, some investors have expressed concerns about its cost in the face of tumbling oil prices—an issue Shell’s management has been at pains to address.

…Shell estimated that the long-term oil price needed for the deal to break even is in the low-$60s-a-barrel range.