The Globe and Mail reports in its Monday, March 18, edition that top oil executives and ministers descend on Houston this week for one of the world's biggest energy conferences. A Reuters dispatch to The Globe reports that global oil prices have remained in a range between $75 (U.S.) and $85 (U.S.) a barrel, a level fuelling profits but not hurting economic growth. Stock markets continue to spur deals, making Big Oil even bigger. The annual CERAWeek conference comes as demand for oil and gas continues to rise alongside solar, wind and biofuels. Energy markets have accommodated a reordering of global flows as customers turn more to regional energy suppliers or live with longer seaborne supply chains. Unlike past conferences where conversations were dominated by market-share battles between U.S. shale oil producers and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, talk of price wars has been supplanted by energy security issues. More than 7,200 people are expected to hear the latest outlook on energy markets from the heads of top producers BP, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Saudi Aramco, Sinopec and Petronas. Notably absent at this year's conference are top oil ministers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq.