Are Shell shareholders in for a windfall?
Crude prices finding support on increased inventory drawdowns  A Dutch court ruling could accelerate industry change  This time last year, you could have bought a barrel of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for around $40 (28.90). That same barrel would now cost you in the region of $72. With large drawdowns on US inventories taking place, the immediate prospects for crude prices are positive. We shouldnt be surprised, then, that speculation over deal-making in the oil and gas space is intensifying. Reuters recently reported that Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) was examining a possible sale of all or part of its Permian Basin assets in the US. Sources told the news agency that proceeds from a full sale could be more than $10bn.