upstream

up·stream   (ŭp'strēm')    adv.  In, at, or toward the source of a stream: paddling upstream. adj.   In a direction opposite to that of a stream's current: upstream traffic. Business Closer to the point of production or manufacture than to the point of sale.

Upstream

Operations stages in the oil and gas industry that involve exploration and production.

Investopedia Commentary

Most oil companies are known as "integrated" because they combine upstream activities with downstream operations, which take place after the production phase through to the point of sale.

Related Links

Industry Handbook

See also: Commodity, Upstream

upstream

Of or relating to earnings or operations at a firm that are near or at the initial stages of producing a good or service. For example, exploration and production are upstream operations for a large integrated oil company. Compare downstream.

Main Entry: up·stream
Pronunciation: '&p-'strEm
Function: adverb or adjective
: in a direction along a molecule of DNA or RNA opposite to that inwhich transcription and translation take place and toward the end having a hydroxyl group attached to the position labeled 5′ in the terminal nucleotide upstream from each … gene —J. N. Goldman et al> —compare DOWNSTREAM

upstream networking
Fewer network hops away from a backbone or hub. For example, a small ISP that connects to the Internet through a larger ISP that has their own connection to the backbone is downstream from the larger ISP, and the larger ISP is upstream from the smaller ISP.
(1999-08-05)