From Motley Fool:
This year was supposed to be a better one for the energy sector. With OPEC stepping in to drain the oil market’s inventory glut, most in the industry expected that oil prices would be in the mid-$50s this year. While crude did touch that level earlier in the year, it has come unglued in recent weeks and tumbled into the low $40s due to surging shale output, which has counteracted OPEC’s best efforts.