There’s a durable sense of weakness in the oil economy and, while recovery is expected, it’s uncertain when, Royal Dutch Shell said Wednesday. Shell said it expects fourth quarter profits to come in at around 50 percent lower year-on-year as the industry continues to suffer from the dramatic declines in crude oil prices. The price for Brent crude oil tumbled 2.8 percent in early Wednesday trading in a sign of protracted weakness in the energy markets. A spokesperson for Shell said the company was positioning itself for a sustained downturn by cutting capital investments. The company is planning to merge with British counterpart BG Group and, combined, spending of $33 billion for the year marks […]