Ahead of its fourth quarter report, U.S. shale company Continental Resources said it expects its net production to grow by at least 15 percent. Total U.S. oil production is a fourth-quartern barrels per day, putting the country on the same footing as Saudi Arabia. Continental, which focuses in part on the lucrative shale basins in North Dakota and Oklahoma, said its production averaged 242,637 barrels of oil equivalent per day, up 12 percent from the previous year. About 60 percent of its output is oil. “For 2019, the company currently expects production to grow 15 percent to 20 percent year over year with a capital budget of $2.5 billion to $2.8 billion, while generating significant free cash flow comparable to 2018 projections,” the company […]