The weekly survey from Baker Hughes showed the total number of active drilling rigs in the United States slipped by one to 539 in the week ended 8 August. The decline was driven by a drop in natural-gas rigs, which fell to 123 from 124. Oil-directed rigs increased by one to 411, the first uptick in several weeks. The Baker Hughes rig count, a widely watched indicator of future U.S. crude and gas supply, remains broadly stable despite recent price volatility.