Most serious investors consider this number very important when making decisions. By this number i mean the amount of reserves. Yes, some of the methods of calc

Most serious investors consider this number very important when making decisions. By this number i mean the amount of reserves. Yes, some of the methods of calculating it are a little arbitrary but it is the best information investors have as to the value of a company's reserves. Thus, it is very important. And it is not completely arbitrary. For example the rules are the same for all oil companies at the same time. So the number is by no means random. And while the results depend on the price of oil on particular days, everyone knows the price of oil and what the key days are. So if some investors believe oil will climb back up, they can do some math and arrive with a number that better suits their view of the future.