Environment
Liberty Energy stock jumps after Trump picks CEO Chris Wright as energy secretary
Liberty Oilfield Services CEO Chris Wright at Liberty January 17, 2018.
Andy Cross | Denver Post | Getty Images
Shares of Liberty Energy rose on Monday after President-elect Donald Trump picked CEO Chris Wright as energy secretary.
Liberty Energy is an oilfield services company headquartered in Denver, Colorado with a market capitalization of $2.7 billion.
The shares were up 5% in premarket trading Monday.
Wright will step down as CEO and chairman of the board at Liberty upon his confirmation as energy secretary, according to a company statement Monday. Liberty plans to appoint Ron Gusek to succeed Wright as CEO, and William Kimble as chairman.
Wright also serves as board member at Oklo, a nuclear startup backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that is developing micro reactors. Oklo’s stock surged nearly 10% in premarket trading.
Wright will also serve as a board member of the president-elect’s Council on National Energy. The CEO has denied that climate change is a global crisis that requires a transition away from fossil fuels.
Liberty Energy, 1 day
Trump wants to increase fossil fuel production in the U.S., though analysts and industry heavyweights such as Exxon CEO Darren Woods have said oil and natural gas output in the U.S. will not change in response to the election.
The U.S. has been the biggest crude oil producer in the world since 2018, outpacing Russia and Saudi Arabia.