1. OIL AND GAS:
Record rise in oil output forecast for 2013 -- EIA
U.S. crude production could rise by an unprecedented 815,000 barrels per day in 2013, according to a report by the Energy Information Administration. An addendum to EIA's latest "Short-Term Energy Outlook," released Thursday, predicts a surge in production due to improvements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques, as well as increased activity in the Gulf of Mexico.