In the weeks leading up to Labor Day, the stock and debt markets were roiled like sailboats bobbing in a stiff breeze. The credit crunch caused by the mortgage crisis quickly replaced a sunny Dow with fear among investors. Jittery speculative oil traders did not help matters much. Is the party over? No, but it may change a bit. What affect will the turmoil have on oil and gas financing? For the average producer, not much. There is a huge difference between Cerberus bailing out money-losing Chrysler Corp. and having a hard time borrowing billions of dollars, and a profitable producer with proved reserves trying to borrow $250 million. Debt available to the energy industry will likely have stricter provisions, but energy is still popular with banks and institutions, according to James Kipp, managing director with Wachovia Securities Inc. in Houston. Speaking to an industry group last month, Kipp said he expected institutional debt markets to be on hold until after Labor Day. Public and private deal-making always picks up in September anyway after vacation season ends. For more on this, see the September issue of Oil and Gas Investor. For a subscription, call 713-260-6441.
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