Halliburton Co on Tuesday predicted a recovery in the global oil and gas industry from the second quarter after the oilfield services provider beat profit estimates on cost cuts and modest gains in activity following last year’s slump. Crude oil prices are holding to gains from a rebound in late-2020 from a coronavirus-induced slump, with Brent crude hovering around $55 per barrel on Tuesday after averaging around $45 in the last three months of 2020. This has encouraged producers to complete more wells and add rigs. North America rig count was 410 at year-end, compared with 341 in the third quarter. “We view 2021 as a bit of a transition year, and 2022 is when we see the global rebalancing of supply and demand,” Chief Executive Officer Jeff Miller said on a post-earnings […]