Exxon Boosts Spending to $32 Billion, Raises 2025 Profit Target

  • CEO Woods dangles promise of big profits -- 6 years from now
  • ‘Society needs us to make these investments,’ Woods says
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
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Exxon Mobil Corp. tumbled more than any other blue-chip stock after boosting spending to heights not seen since the historic oil-market collapse began in 2014, bucking the cost-cutting trend among rival energy explorers.

Exxon’s annual capital outlays will average $32 billion through the end of next year, a 24 percent increase from 2018, the Irving, Texas based driller said on Wednesday. Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods defended the budget increase in a presentation to analysts in New York, saying the entire oil industry is threatened by anemic investment levels.