Frackers Say Oil Production Slowing in the Shale Patch

Despite an extended streak of strong profits, shale companies are slowing their oil-field activity, keeping U.S. oil production roughly flat and offering little relief for tight global markets.

What was expected to be a banner year for U.S. oil production has failed to materialize as creeping inflation-related costs, supply-chain snarls and disappointing well performance for some companies have coalesced to limit domestic output, executives and analysts said.