Shell Points to a Another Bleak Quarter for Big Oil

  • Fuel sales still weak, trading gains wane, further writedowns
  • Energy giant releases first detailed fourth-quarter figures
Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg
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Investors expecting an end-of-year rebound in the oil and gas industry could be in for a disappointment, if figures published by Royal Dutch Shell Plc are any indication.

The Anglo-Dutch energy giant gave a first taste of what could prove to be another bleak quarter for the industry. It warned of another multibillion-dollar impairment charge, significantly weaker oil trading, a loss in its upstream division and fuel sales that remain sluggish.