Mixed activity reports in the exploration and production sector helped push crude oil prices lower in a light trading day that started the month of May. North Dakota, a state at the heart of the U.S. oil boom, reported a modest increase in rig activity for the week, adding two to its state-wide count. On the whole, however, the North American rig count, a key barometer of the health of the exploration and production side of the energy sector, is depressed. Baker Hughes reports the number of rigs in service in the United States and Canada fell by a total of 23, or 2.2 percent, between April 17 and April 24. Year-on-year, the North American rig count […]