Opec tries befriending US shale oil after ignoring it, fighting it

Others inside OPEC are sounding exasperated as the resurgence in shale output could force the cartel to prolong its output cuts beyond the end of 2018

In front of the Petroleum Club of Midland, Texas -- capital of the booming Permian shale region -- an electronic display flashes two crucial pieces of information: the oil price and the number of drilling rigs.

For the past year, both figures have been climbing as OPEC oil production cuts led to higher prices, spurring added drilling activity in the U.S.

But the rise in the latter inevitably threatens the former. With the number of rigs up almost a third over the last year, U.S. production has surged above 10 million barrels a day, surpassing the all-time high set in