How ExxonMobil Strikes the Right Balance in Rocky Times

When oil prices get volatile, oil producers' success or failure depends in part on how they've balanced their focus between high-margin upstream projects and cash-flow-rich downstream ones. Now, with oil prices subject to unreliable swings as demand drops and Russia and OPEC cut back supply, let's take a closer look at why ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) might be uniquely positioned in the industry to ride out these ups and downs.

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Like most integrated energy producers, Exxon structures its businesses into upstream (getting oil and gas out of the ground), downstream (turning raw fossil fuels into finished products), and chemical (lubricants and specialty products) segments.

Source Fool.com