A Shell of Itself

It should be the best of times for the energy giant. But a look at its reserves show Royal Dutch Shell may soon be running on empty.

Judging by the $23 billion it earned last year, these should be the best of times for Shell, the Anglo-Dutch energy giant that ranks third among the top five Western oil companies. But Wall Street isn’t celebrating. Instead, analysts are worried that buried beneath the record profit figures are worrying signs of a business in decline.