Upstream activities include oil and natural gas exploration, field development and production.

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He thinks that its upstream activities are the best among the big companies, and that means it can boost its earnings even without a spike in oil prices.

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This consists, first, of paying too much attention to the upstream development of new inventions and technologies by scientists and engineers, and too little to the downstream process of turning these inventions into products that tempt people to part with their money, and, second, of the belief that national leadership in upstream activities is the same thing as leadership in generating economic value from innovation.

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Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) provides products and services to oil and gas firms in upstream exploration and production activities.

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For those unaware, downstream generally refers to refining and marketing activities, and upstream relates to exploration and production.

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The office is responsible for providing assistance both upstream and downstream through planning, programming, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of activities.

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It would gain a vital equity stake in European upstream, mid-stream and down-stream plays, which by implication, includes trading activities given physical volumes ultimately impact virtual trades.

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