U.S. energy firms added oil and natural gas rigs for a record 17 months in a row as higher prices lured some drillers back to the wellpad after last year's coronavirus-driven decline in demand, Reuters reported. The oil and gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, was unchanged at 586 in the week to Dec. 31, energy services firm Baker Hughes Co said in its closely followed report. During December, the total rig count rose by 17. For the quarter, the count was up 65, its fifth increase in a row. For the year the count was up 235. That compares with a decrease of 454 rigs in 2020 and a decline of 278 rigs in 2019.
