Rig Count Jumps 19: The number of...

Rig Count Jumps 19: The number of working U.S. oil and gas rigs increased for the first time this year when it jumped by 19 rigs this week to a total 918, officials said. Baker Hughes Inc. of Houston reported that the number of working rigs remained well above the figures from a year ago, when the nation’s rig count was posted at 766. Last week, the rig count dropped by 32 to 899, following several weeks of decline. From the beginning of the year until this week, the country had lost 167 working rigs. Experts had blamed the drop on a general seasonal decline.