Halliburton Co. has cut 9,000 jobs – more than 10 percent of its workforce – in about six months and is considering more cost-cutting moves as falling oil prices sap demand for its drilling help. Halliburton executives disclosed the job cuts Monday on a conference call with investors. The Houston oilfield-services company reported a loss of $643 million in the first quarter. Oil prices plunged starting last summer, leading to a decline in drilling activity. Spot prices for crude have risen slightly since early January but remain about half their level of last July. Halliburton President Jeff Miller said he wasn’t ready to say the worst has passed, but that such slumps usually last about three quarters. “Once we see activity stabilize, the healing process can begin, but it takes time,” he told analysts. The oil-market decline caused Halliburton to take $1.2 billion in charges in […]

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