Vaca Muerta Shrugs Off Frac Cuts With Record Oil and Gas Gains

Argentina’s booming Vaca Muerta shale play isn’t immune to the decline in oil prices and company spending this year. Drilling activity is set for a near-term slowdown as foreign firms and the biggest domestic producer YPF SA are pulling out some frac crews amid lower international oil prices and a major asset reshuffle with mergers and acquisitions in recent months. But the long-term prospects of the Vaca Muerta shale resources—one of the world’s biggest—remain intact, and Argentina is looking to monetize both the…