Benchmark: Focus on Ike and Nigeria

Crude Investing News reports Hurricane Ike was not as devastating as expected and thus having less impact on production, refining and transportation infrastructure in the Gulf Coast.

Going forward, the ongoing lack of power in the Houston area will be the most significant obstacle to resuming pre-hurricane activity levels. Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) has confirmed that the Baytown refinery has only experienced limited damage, and it should be able to ramp up operations quickly once power is restored.