Oil last week rose to levels last seen in 2014 amid growing geopolitical risks, with investors anticipating that retaliation against Assad would threaten production in the region, while tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed rebels in Yemen also added to concerns. Still, surging U.S. output continues to weigh on investor sentiment even as the International Energy Agency says the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is close to reaching its target of eliminating a global crude glut. Meanwhile, in the U.S., working oil rigs rose by seven last week to 815, the highest since March 2015, according to data from Baker Hughes. The rig fleet has expanded in 10 of the past 12 weeks. The expansion came after the Energy Information Administration data showed that American oil production rose to a fresh record of 10.5 million barrels a day. Click Read More below for additional information.

In the January/February 2018 magazine, which kicked off our 55th year of publishing, GDUSA released its annual Students To Watch roundup. In addition, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite institutions which prepare students to work in professional graphic design, based on a mix of objective and subjective factors, including our own decades-long relationships with designers, students, educators, recruiters.

Canadian National this week was the only Class I railroad to publicly comment on the $85-billion acquisition agreement between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, a corporate marriage that if approved would create the first U.S. transcontinental freight railroad. “CN is closely monitoring the ongoing discussions about possible transcontinental rail mergers,” the Montreal-based company (NYSE: CNI) said in a statement to FreightWaves. “Our focus remains on delivering consistent performance for our customers, pursuing strategic growth opportunities, and creating long-term value for our shareholders. “CN believes this can be achieved through greater collaboration between railways, connecting key markets with critical resources,” as opposed to mergers.