Stock Market News & Stocks to Watch from StraightStocks » energy markets

What Obama was really doing in China

Andrew Snyder — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:01:50 +0000

pBaltimore #8212; (a href="http://www.todaysfinancialnews.com" target="_blank"TFN/a): It looks like we found out what President Obama was actually doing in China last week. When he wasn’t bowing to foreign leaders or taking tours of historic China, our leader was giving the Chinese some financial advice./p pIsn’t that a scary thought?/p pJust a couple of days after Obama touched down in Washington, China makes a very American decree. It’s telling its banks it had better shore up their capital situations or face strong sanctions from the government./p pThey say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. America did it first, now the communists are following./p pIn case you missed the news over the past year or so, China’s economy is flat-out soaring ahead. While no figure that disseminates from#8230;/p

Arch-GNP Sign Coal Lease Pact – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:43:28 +0000

Arch Coal Inc. (ACI) and Great Northern Properties Limited Partnership (GNP) have entered into a coal lease agreement for all of GNP’s coal resources in the Otter Creek Tracts located in southeastern Montana. Following the agreement, Arch will own the right to mine about 9,600 acres (731 million tons) of GNP-owned minerals for a consideration of 10 cents per ton or $73.1 million, payable in equal annual installments over a period of five years. The 731 million tons of high-quality, low-cost, sub-bituminous coal reserves, which are low in sulfur dioxide content, are located in the Ashland coalfield southeast of Billings, Montana.

The coal lease provides a future growth opportunity for Arch to build a significant position in the Northern Powder River Basin coal region. We believe investment in these low-ratio reserves would support the future development of a large-scale, dragline-operated surface coal mine. It will also give Arch a future cost advantage in the domestic and international energy markets.

The State of Montana also has about half of the ownership interest in the Otter Creek area. The materialization of the Arch-GNP Otter Creek Coal Lease has come with the State of Montana potentially putting its interests in the Otter Creek coal reserves up for lease as well.

The future development of the Montana coal reserves will help competitively serve the northern U.S. power generation market, provide Arch with an additional supply source to export into the fast growing Pacific Rim coal market or possibly house the site of a future coal-conversion facility.

Read the full analyst report on "ACI"
Zacks Investment Research

CenterPoint Results In Line – Analyst Blog

Zacks Market Commentaries — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:30:45 +0000

Energy delivery company CenterPoint Energy Inc. (CNP) today posted net earnings of 31 cents per share, in line with Zacks Consensus Estimate of 31 cents and lower than last year’s earnings of 39 cents. The company’s core regulated operations reported strong earnings results during the quarter despite the economic downturn.

Net revenues in the quarter increased 60% over a year ago to $2,515 million, driven by revenue increases at the natural gas distribution and competitive natural gas sales & services businesses. Operating income reported in the quarter was down 15% year-over-year to $287 million, due to lower natural gas and natural gas liquids prices, a decline in natural gas throughput from the traditional basins and reduced basis differentials.

Operating income at CenterPoint’s electric transmission & distribution segment improved 8% over last year to $218 million, consisting of $187 million from the regulated electric transmission & distribution utility operations (TDU) and $31 million related to transition bonds. The results benefited from growth of over 26,000 metered customers since Sep 2008, favorable weather and higher net transmission revenues, partially offset by higher operation and maintenance expenses.

CenterPoint’s natural gas distribution segment reported an operating loss of $15 million versus a loss of $6 million last year, primarily due to higher pension and other operation and maintenance expenses, which more than offset rate increases and higher miscellaneous revenues. At the interstate pipelines segment operating income improved 16% from last year, driven by higher revenue from new contracts on the Carthage to Perryville pipeline and for deliveries to gas-fired power generators offset by higher pension and other operation and maintenance expenses.

At the field services segment operating income declined 48%, due to significantly lower commodity prices in the quarter as well as lower natural gas throughput from traditional basins. The competitive natural gas sales and services segment reported an operating loss of $8 million in the quarter versus operating income of $35 million a year ago. The decline was attributed to reduced locational price differentials and to a lesser extent to lower retail sales volumes.

CenterPoint expects the balanced portfolio of its electric and natural gas businesses to position it well as the economy recovers and the energy markets rebound. CenterPoint Energy reaffirmed its 2009 earnings guidance of $1.05 to $1.15 per diluted share.
Read the full analyst report on "CNP"
Zacks Investment Research

Energy Blast – October 15, 2009

Robert Amsterdam — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:33:34 +0000

According to ITAR-TASS, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has commented that Russia does not object to selling energy resources using domestic currencies. How done is the Russia-China gas deal? wonders the the FT. Gazprom will buy 500 million cubic meters of...

Savoy Energy Corp. (SNVP.OB) Finds Profit in its Ability to React in Any Condition

QualityStocks — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:31:50 +0000

Given the current state of the energy markets, being a large company is not necessarily a good thing. Flexibility is a distinct advantage. Mid and larger energy companies tend to focus on larger properties where capital costs can be extreme, limiting the ability to adapt to changing conditions. As the book says, “small is beautiful.” [...]

Spring Creek Capital Corporation (SCRK.OB) is “One to Watch”‏

QualityStocks — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:48:37 +0000

Incorporated in 2006, Spring Creek Capital Corporation is a Business Development Company under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Their corporate focus is on portfolio investments in companies developing innovative solutions for the healthcare market. Spring Creek Capital’s business model is to locate, invest in, and provide management assistance to small public and private companies [...]

Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc. (SNRY.OB) Announces Major Development in “Renew the Nation” Campaign

QualityStocks — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:48:52 +0000

Today, Solar Energy Initiatives, Inc. published letters of intent outlining the plan to install and operate approximately 4 megawatts of photovoltaic systems on government buildings in several municipalities across the United States. This announcement follows the company’s plan to focus on executing on a grass roots campaign, “RENEW THE NATION”, designed to help [...]

Dana Gas’ 2Q results benefit from Kurdistan exposure

Jason G. Wulterkens — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:11:47 +0000

Sharjah-based Dana Gas, the Gulf’s first privately run natural gas firm, reported a 31% increase in gross profits compared to the same period last year. Concurrently, net profits grew more than eleven-fold. As usual, the firm’s Egyptian operations played a central role to its financial results; in fact, during the second quarter [...]

Stone Energy Corp. – Momentum – Zacks Rank Buy

Michael Vodicka — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Stone Energy Corp. (SGY) is posting huge gains as estimates continue to surge.

Company Description

Stone Energy Corporation operates as an energy explorer in the Gulf of Mexico and Appalachia region. The company was founded in 1993 and has a market cap of $470 million.

Stone Energy is up huge over the last 4 months, taking off with the equity and energy markets. The company's strong second-quarter results, reported on July 30, were far better than expected, giving its share price a nice pop.

Second-Quarter Results

Earnings came in at 65 cents per share, far ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 10 cents. Operating revenue was down from last year to $170.3 million.

Stone added that its daily production volumes were up 9% from last year and expects additional growth into the third quarter.

Estimates Spike

Estimates are up big over the last 90 days, helped by higher energy prices and the good quarter. The current year is up $1.25 per share to 53 cents per share. The next-year estimate is projecting 13% earnings growth.

Valuations

Based on the current-year estimate, this stock has a P/E multiple of 22X, a premium to the overall market.

The Chart

Shares of SGY have been on a big-time rally for the last months in response to higher energy prices and general economic optimism. Take a look at the bug move below.

Zacks Investment Research

Uncovering a Diamond in the Rough, SymPower (PINK:SYMW)

Michael Vlaicu — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:32:29 +0000

Sympowerco Corp. (Public, PINK:SYMW) StocksHaven Investments analyzes one of the most undervalued alternative energy plays, which in the near future may find itself alongside the predominant players within the Fuel Cell #38; Hybrid Power Systems Research #38; Development sector. SymPowerco is an energy technology company focused [...]

Spectra Energy Corp. – Momentum – Zacks Rank Buy

Michael Vodicka — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Spectra Energy Corp. (SE) has responded to higher energy prices by posting impressive gains over the last 3 months.

Company Description

Spectra Energy Corp., through its subsidiaries, engages in the transportation and storage of natural gas in Canada and the United States. The company has 18,300 miles of pipelines and 272 billion cubic feet of storage capacity and has a market cap of $12 billion.

Spectra's share price has been logging steady gains over the last 3 months as the equity rally sent energy prices higher. Even though the company's first-quarter results were down from last year, earnings were in line with expectations.

First-Quarter Results

Sales were down 14% to $1.38 billion, but earnings came in at 33 cents per share, in line with the consensus estimate. Spectra has either matched or beat in each of the last four quarters by an average of 4 cents, or 9%.

CEO Greg Ebel added some flavor to the results, commenting how volatility in the energy markets effects the company's business. "Despite weaker than expected commodity prices and the Canadian exchange rate, there is good reason for optimism. Our core, fee-based businesses - which we expect will provide us with more than 80 percent of our earnings this year - all performed very well during the quarter."

Estimates

Estimates are up over the last few months, with the current year adding 6 cents and climbing to $1.11 per share. The next-year estimate is bullish, pegged at $1.38, a 24% growth projection.

Valuation

Based on the current-year estimate, this stock has a P/E multiple of 16X, a slight premium to the overall market with the very nice growth projection in hand.

The Chart

As previously mentioned, shares of SE have been rallying since early March, bottoming out just above $11 before recently topping off above $18. Take a look below.

Zacks Investment Research

Ecosphere Technologies, Inc. (ESPH.OB) Announces $10 Million Investment

QualityStocks — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:22:38 +0000

Ecosphere Technologies, Inc., a diversified water engineering and services company, announced this morning that its oil and gas environmental services subsidiary, Ecosphere Energy Services, LLC (EES), closed its agreements with Bledsoe Capital Group who know owns 33% of the subsidiary. Drew Bledsoe, principal of Bledsoe Capital, stated, “Our goal was to find a ‘green’ technology [...]

Octus Energy Adds Two Energy Industry Executives to Its Management Team

Stuart T. Smith — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:49:50 +0000

DAVIS, CA — (Marketwire) — 07/09/09 — Octus Energy (OTCBB: OCTI) today announced the addition of two energy industry executives to its management team, strengthening the company’s commercialization of the Octus Smart Energy Platform (OctusSEP). Joining the company are Tobin J.M. Richardson as Senior Advisor, Energy Markets, and Siva Gunda as Senior Engineer, Smart Energy [...]

Energy Blast – July 8, 2009

Robert Amsterdam — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:30:17 +0000

ExxonMobil has complained that Russia's subsoil law, which curtails foreigners' access to oil fields, is the main hindrance in its attempts to develop further in Russia. TNK-BP is considering additional investment this year, although less than the $400 million that...

Axial Vector Energy Corp. (AXVC.PK) Announces “Significant Milestone” Through Acquisition of Adaptive Propulsion Systems

QualityStocks — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:06:29 +0000

Axial Vector Energy Corp. is a global solutions provider delivering revolutionary technologies, including internal combustion engine and electric power generator technologies for military, industrial and commercial applications. The company recently announced the successful completion of its technology transfer in accordance with its acquisition of Adaptive Propulsion Systems LLC (APS), a subsidiary of Tactronics Holdings. The [...]

Stocks For An Economic Recovery – Energy

Bullish Bankers — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:00:05 +0000

Whenever someone mentions the idea of an economic recovery, I immediately start thinking about what would happen if natural gas rose back towards late 2007 and early 2008 levels. This won’t happen in the near term as it is anticipated that we will be in a weak hurricane season and there are still a few [...]

Axial Vector Energy Corp. (AXVC.PK) Recruits Muse Stancil for Independent Review of Crude Oil Upgrading Technology

QualityStocks — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:26:31 +0000

Axial Vector Energy Corp. (AVEC) focuses on the international engine and global energy markets by providing technology solutions for military, industrial and commercial applications. The company earlier this month announced that Muse Stancil will execute an independent review for AVEC’s Oxidating Desulphurization and Heavy Crude Oil Upgrading technology, which the company acquired through its joint [...]

Crude Creeps Higher

Doug Casey — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:27:59 +0000

pIn the energy market on Thursday, crude for June delivery rose, closing at $49.62/barrel, up 77 cents. May reformulated gasoline added just over a penny, to $1.4015/gallon. /p pTraders somehow managed to shrug off the grim jobless data and crude#8217;s inventory glut, and focused more on the weakened dollar./p pAs Phil Flynn, of Alaron Trading, put it, “Oil continues to defy supply and demand.”/p p“The recent EIA numbers seem to be telling us that the OPEC cuts are not making the desired dents in overall crude oil inventories, as the drop in global demand seems to be outpacing the OPEC-engineered supply declines,” wrote Edward Meir, of MF Global (NYSE:a href="http://www.google.com/finance?q=MF"MF/a)./p p“However, for the time being, the energy markets seem to be giving OPEC the benefit#8230;/p

Aspire Talks With Keewatin’s (KWPW.OB) Chris Craddock

Small Cap Pulse — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Aspire Talks with Keewatinrsquo;s Chris Craddock Interview by Todd M. Pitcher, Managing Partner of Aspire Clean Tech Communications April 7, 2009 - Canadarsquo;s wind power market grew 28.3% year-over-year last year, eclipsing the 2,000MW milestone to post capacity at year end of 2,369MW. Despite the current macroeconomic crisis, the Canadian Wind Energy Association projects that this year installations will exceed last yearrsquo;s installed capacity which would put it at more than 3,000MW installed. Research Capitalrsquo;s Matt Gowing told Aspire recently that he expects the pace for wind installed capacity to quicken in Canada, pointing to the recent proposal for a feed-in-tariff in Ontario, which would be the first such framework in North America. Gowing said that other provinces will be watching this development closely and if a feed-in-tariff is successful in Ontario, we can reasonably expect that to be adopted by the other provinces. The Ontario proposal calls for cent;13.5kWh for onshore wind and could be in place by this summer. I recently had the chance to talk with Keewatin Windpowerrsquo;s (KWPW.OB) CEO and founder, Chris Craddock about Keewatinrsquo;s business and in particular, about its pending acquisition of Sky Harvest, a private Canadian development-stage wind developer. Aspire: Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time with us. One of the things that our readership would be interested to know more about is the Sky Harvest acquisition. In particular, why is Keewatin acquiring Sky Harvest? Craddock: Thanks Todd. As a backgrounder, Keewatin is currently developing a wind project involving government land while Sky Harvest is developing a wind project on private land.nbsp; The Sky Harvest project was further along in development and engineering. We felt that we could have the project prepared for a power call in advance of the Keewatin site. Also, we believe Sky Harvest brings some attractive cost advantages that would enable us to accelerate our business plan. Aspire: Can you elaborate on that? Craddock: Well, the Sky Harvest development project has certain geographic advantages that will enable us to move at a faster pace through the environmental impact assessments, as well as being more accommodative from a road and infrastructure perspective. Aspire: Are you still pursuing the Keewatin wind development? Craddock: Of course. The Keewatin property is a valued and high-end resource. But it will require additional time in planning road activities and to thoughtfully assess and address environmental impact issues. Aspire: The principal supplier of electricity in Saskatchewan, which is where the Keewatin and Sky Harvest developments are located, has recently made a base load power call, and a peaking power call. It currently has about 172MW of wind power in service, but it has indicated that it intends to develop a wind power deployment strategy in 2009. Last year, it invited developers with experience in wind monitoring in Saskatchewan to participate in the Saskatchewan Wind Data Study ndash; I believe you were invited to participate in that. Do you expect a wind power call in the near term? If so, when do you expect submission and commissioning? Craddock: The answers to those questions are subject to the utility in Saskatchewan determining a time frame. Aspire: I understand. Based on comments on its website, itsrsquo; stated objective is to announce a deployment strategy this year, so it seems to be a noncontroversial expectation that a power call for wind is eminent. Craddock: It may seem that way Todd, but we wouldnrsquo;t propose to make any forecast on timing. Our objective is just to be prepared to respond if and when a power call for wind does come. We have more than three years of wind data that shows promising results. We have engaged the services of Golder Associates, which is performing environmental studies and analysis. We have instructed our engineers at Genivar to move ahead with the sight planning, turbine placements to achieve maximum yield and all of this helps us to lock in our cost structure ahead of erection of turbines. Aspire: It sounds like you are prepared. Research Capitalrsquo;s Matt Gowing makes a compelling case in a recent report that valuations, from an EV/MW basis, are most impacted amongst Canadian wind energy firms based on projects in development. If that analysis is correct, then the timing is probably better than it ever has been to invest in Keewatin ahead of a power call. Craddock: As I am sure you can understand, I am not going to make any comments about valuations, when and whether it is a good time to invest in our business. I can tell you that I think we have some terrific prospects for wind development in Saskatchewan. As I mentioned before, the SkyHarvest acquisition makes sense because it is both an attractive project and also because it will help us to accelerate our business. We have made a strategic decision, which I believe is the right one, to focus on building out one project at a time, as opposed to trying to do multiple projects at once. I think the latter approach increases the execution risk. So the approach we are taking, I think, is the right one, and the one that will put us in the best position to create value as a business and to our shareholders. Aspire: That is a smart approach, and one that I think will resonate with investors given the current economic environment. And what then, are your plans for the Keewatin project? Craddock: It will require more extensive environmental work, but we think it has tremendous potential. Aspire: It sounds like it. Between the two projects, Keewatin is targeting 300MW of wind capacity, which is quite a lot, when you consider the fact that the entire province of Saskatchewan has 171MW capacity installed.nbsp; And from what we have seen on net capacity and wind resource maps in the province, it looks like there is a great opportunity. Thanks for the time Chris. Key Milestones Keewatin and Sky Harvest have Achieved to Date Keewatin and Sky Harvest are participating in the Saskatchewan Wind Power Integration and Development Study Keewatin and Sky Harvest have provided data to Genivar, a Calgary-based engineering firm that is conducting the study on behalf of the utility to define a productive plan for wind power in Saskatchewan Keewatin has entered into a letter agreement dated March 26, 2007 to acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding common shares of Sky Harvest Windpower Corp. ("Sky Harvest") a private Canadian company incorporated under the federal laws of Canada. Sky Harvest holds the rights to construct a wind power facility on approximately 8,500 acres of land located in south-western Saskatchewan. Sky Harvest has completed a wind resource assessment on the property that demonstrates that the potential wind resource exceeds the minimum capacity factor necessary to justify the planning and construction of a 150 megawatt wind power project. The assessment was completed by Genivar of Calgary, Alberta. Important Disclosure: Aspire Clean Tech Communications (ldquo;Aspirerdquo;) is retained by Keewatin to provide strategic consulting and corporate communications services. Aspire is a clean tech and alternative energy-focused professional services firm, based in San Diego, California. It is also the publisher of the Aspire Week in Review newsletter, which provides commentary, analysis and updates on business and political developments supporting the global clean tech and alternative energy markets. For more information about Aspire, or to request a free subscription to the Aspire Week in Review, go to www.aspirecleantech.com.

Get Out of the U.S. Dollar Now. Right Now. This Is Not a Drill.

Justice Litle — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:52:30 +0000

pWith Monday#8217;s surprise announcement, China dropped a bombshell on global currency markets. Action to take: Get out of the U.S. dollar. Now. Right now./p pemSerenity Now! Serenity Now!!/embr / - Frank Costanza, emSeinfeld/em/p pLet#8217;s see, how can I put the appropriate subtlety and nuance on this#8230;/p pstrongGet. Out. Of the U.S. Dollar. NOW. /strong/p pDo not pass go, do not collect $200, do not stop to conduct an impromptu inventory of your unmentionables./p pIn the slightly profane vernacular of internet slang, just GTFO. emDo not walk, RUN, to the nearest exit./emstrong /strongBarring that, find the most appropriate hedge for your dollar-denominated investments and GET THAT HEDGE ON. Toot sweet. strong/strong/p pIf you don#8217;t know of a high quality dollar hedge off the top of your head – other than#8230;/p

New Video: Can Crude Survive 80?

Jim Musselwhite — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 01:58:50 +0000

For the first time since September of 2007, the crude oil (NYME_CL) market has flashed a positive signal that it is headed higher. This is the first buy signal that we have seen in over 18 months in the energy markets. The big question is, if crude oil is headed higher, how much of a price [...]

Potential Refinery Strike to Boost these 2 Oil Stocks

Andrew Snyder — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:15:15 +0000

pIt looks like it will be another volatile week in the energy markets. On one side of the balance, a tremendous economic slowdown and an overabundance of oil are pushing prices down, while the other side of the balance, rather empty until now, has the threat of a major strike propping prices up. Here#8217;s two ways to play it./p pThis from Today#8217;s Financial News:/p blockquotepEven with the threat of a strike, crude prices managed to dip below the crucial $40 level, the unofficial delineator between cheap and moderately priced oil. What will happen through the rest of the week is up to the United Steelworkers./p pIf the union, which represents some 30,000 employees and about 70% of the nation’s refinery production, votes against#8230;/p/blockquote

Total (TOT) Claims 50% Stake in IDT Corp.’s (IDT) AMSO

QualityStocks — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 14:28:19 +0000

Today, 10 minutes before the opening bell, it was announced that Total (NYSE: TOT), the fifth largest international integrated oil and gas company, will purchase a 50% stake in IDT’s American Shale Oil, LLC (AMSO) subsidiary. AMSO is one of three holders of 10-year leases granted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to assess, [...]

Coal Energy: 3 Ways To Make Money From The Black Rock

Contrarian Profits — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 13:20:57 +0000

pCoal may be a dirty word in the clean energy movement. But strongDavid Fessler/strong says the realities of global energy markets means it is going to be a key source of power in the coming decades. He says investors should include coal in their energy portfolio, and recommends three of the best ways to do it./p pThis from a href="http://www.investmentu.com/" class="alinks_links"Investment U/a:/p blockquotepThe Obama administration has made a big deal about renewable energy. Over the next several years, the new President has plans to spend roughly $150 billion promoting and enabling its growth. And with $700 billion flowing from the United States into OPEC’s pockets every year, I don’t think you’ll get much of an argument from anyone about the timeliness or the need for#8230;/p/blockquote

Obama Stimulus and January Effect, this Week’s Top Stories

Contrarian Profits — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:20:48 +0000

pPresident-elect Barack Obama’s transition team is reportedly putting the finishing touches on an economic recovery plan that could run from $675 billion to $1 trillion, though many experts believe the program will most like range between $700 billion and $800 billion./p pBriefings for top congressional Democrats were to start either over the weekend or today (Monday), a senior transition-team official told strongemThe Associated Press/em/strong late last week. President-elect Obama is slated to meet today with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in a Democratic strategy session that is likely to focus on the a href="http://www.moneymorning.com/2008/12/18/economic-stimulus/" target="_blank"economic recovery package/a./p pIt’s time to look forward, not back.strongem /em/strongThe 111th Congress meets tomorrow (Tuesday), and a comprehensive economic stimulus package is at the#8230;/p

Exousia Advanced Materials Inc. (EXOU.OB) Specialty Coatings Sales are Gaining Traction

QualityStocks — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:53:37 +0000

In many respects, growth can be good and bad. The good comes when a company becomes known and makes sales targets, the bad comes if the company grows too quickly and its internal structure fails to keep pace. Being able to develop a solid internal structure, as a newer company grows, is a key element [...]

Positive Developments for the Renewable Energy Industry

QualityStocks — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:33:03 +0000

This year has been a big win for those who have been rooting for a larger renewable energy industry and reduced dependence on carbon based fuels. There have been several initiatives, legislation, and events that are expected to invigorate the growth of solar, wind, and other alternative energy markets. – In October, the 30-percent Federal [...]

Obamanomics: President-Elect Taps Schapiro to Head SEC, Proposes $775 Billion Stimulus

Contrarian Profits — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:36:28 +0000

pPresident-elect Barack Obama yesterday (Thursday) named Mary L. Schapiro – a strong proponent of protections for individual investors – to head the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when his administration takes office next month, the biggest of three nominations with potential financial crisis implications./p pAnd in the latest addition to his Obamanomics plan, the president-elect a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Obama-propose-stimulus-up-775/story.aspx?guid=%7BB2110D6D%2D2DDA%2D4860%2D96CE%2DDB03FA2E5EC9%7D" target="_blank"has also proposed a massive stimulus package of as much as $775 billion over the next two years/a as part of a historic infusion that’s aimed at overhauling America’s infrastructure, schools, broadband networks and energy use, a Congressional source told strongemMarketWatch.com/em/strong yesterday./p pBut making the Schapiro nomination official was considered a key move. In its Thursday morning issue, strongema href="http://www.moneymorning.com" class="alinks_links"Money Morning/a/em/strong a href="http://www.moneymorning.com/2008/12/18/mary-l-schapiro/" target="_blank"reported that Schapiro had been chosen and that an official#8230;/a/p

Gold, Silver Still In The Quagmire

Doug Casey — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:30:56 +0000

Gold had another day of little volatility, just a soggy downtrend on Wednesday, drifting from its high at the outset of London trading to its intraday low early in the Globex, and a finish barely off that at $709.50, down $21.90. Overnight, gold is trending higher.

Platinum pushed above $840 in Hong Kong, but then traded tightly listlessly with a down bias through the day, ending at $811/oz., down $3. Overnight, platinum has been flat.

Silver followed very much the same path as gold, only moreso, sliding steadily to close at its intraday low of $9.25/oz., down 50 cents. Overnight, silver has pushed higher. (Click here for charts)

It was a very rough day for gold and silver, which seemed to line…

How To Profit As Market Forgets Oil And Gas Fundamentals

Justice Litle — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:26:40 +0000

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Justice Litle thinks Dickens’ classic line provides an apt description of today’s markets. Sure, this year has been hell. But it has also created some amazing opportunities for contrarian investors. Justice says this is most apparent in the oil and natural gas market, where irrational risk aversion has made most people forget the fundamentals.

This from Taipan Daily:

Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking.

— Vice–President-Elect Joe Biden

Just a few weeks ago, Vice–President-elect Joe Biden (back when he was plain old Senator Joe Biden) promised the world that Barack Obama will be “tested” by America’s…

Clean Energy Fuels Corp. (CLNE): Good for the Environment, Good for Your Portfolio?

QualityStocks — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:41:49 +0000

Clean Energy Fuels is a supplier of natural gas as an alternative fuel across North America and designs, builds, finances, and operates fueling stations and supplies compressed natural gas and liquefied natural gas. The company serves approximately 275 fleet customers operating 14,000 natural gas vehicles in public transit, refuse hauling, airports, taxis, seaports, and regional [...]

Easthampton Burning?

Contrarian Profits — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:11:06 +0000

The typhoon of commentary that’s blown around the world a step behind the financial tsunami that’s wrecking everything, two little words have been curiously absent: “fraud” and “swindle.” But aren’t they really at the core of what has happened? Wall Street took the whole world “for a ride” and now a handful of Wall Street’s erstwhile princelings have shifted ceremoniously into U.S. Government service to “fix” the problem with a “toolbox” containing a notional two trillion dollars.

This strange exercise in financial kabuki theater will shut down sometime between the election and inauguration day, when the inaugurate finds himself president of the Economic Smoking Wreckage of the United States. What will happen?

I have thought for some time that things could…

CF Partners | Carbon Hedge Fund | Notes

Richard C. Wilson — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:25:39 +0000

CF Partners

CF Partners | Carbon Hedge Fund Notes

The following piece on CF Partners is being published as part of our Hedge Fund Tracker Tool, our daily effort to track hedge funds in the industry.

While the price of oil dives and alternative energy projects are re-examined a new carbon hedge fund has been launched in London.

Resource #1: Carbon Fund Launched

London-based CF Partners, an environmental finance firm specializing in carbon advisory and trading, is launching a carbon emissions hedge fund strategy next month.

The CF Carbon Fund adopts a relative value and arbitrage-based approach to trading carbon and the correlation of carbon with other global energy markets. The strategy will exploit pricing inefficiencies and dislocations in these markets.

Because of the arbitrage opportunities that exist in these markets, the firm said the fund currently requires limited leverage and has minimum counterparty risks since the majority of the trades are made on exchanges. Source

Related to CF Partners | Carbon Hedge Fund | Notes:

Tags: Carbon Hedge Fund, Carbon Hedge Funds, Carbon Trading Hedge Fund Strategy, CF Partners, CF Partners London, CF Partners UK, CF Partners LP LLC Ltd, Carbon Fund

Blame Hedge Funds for Market Volatility

Contrarian Profits — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 13:50:13 +0000

Last week, market volatility reached record levels. Dan Amoss says the wild gyrations in stocks are the result of hedge funds liquidating assets to cover their highly-leveraged positions. This means some good firms — especially those providing vital functions in the food and energy markets — are now massively undervalued.

Axial Vector Energy Corp. (AXVC.PK) Announces Acquisition of Product Assembly and Storage Facility in Dubai

QualityStocks — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:12:37 +0000

Today, Axial Vector Energy announced that its 15 kW generators and electric motors are now ready for mass production and that it has acquired a product assembly and storage facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The new facility will allow final assembly of the company’s generators and electric motors as well as provide a platform [...]

My Seven “Must Own” Asian Dynamos …

Larry Edelson — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:30:27 +0000

In one of my recent blog posts I told you now was a great time to buy Asia -- particularly the energy markets -- and I gave you three of my favorite Asian energy companies to consider. I hope you did.

The Asian markets are already starting to once again outperform the U.S. markets. To be sure, those three Asian energy companies are up as much as 17.6% in just the past week!

What's more, I just recommended to my subscribers to buy shares in seven of my favorite Asian natural resource companies and now they've just exploded higher again, jumping more than 10% in a single day! They're all looking great.

Details on these seven Asian natural resource dynamos can be found in my latest issue of the Real Wealth Report.

Axial Vector Energy Corp. (AXVC.PK) Receives Prestigious Invite as it looks to the Future

QualityStocks — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:40:54 +0000

Axial Vector Energy Corporation has been invited to present its breakthrough technologies at the prestigious Friedland Global Equities forum at the Burj Al Arab Hotel on Monday, October 27, 2008. This invitation is an honor that is not given to many companies and may set the tone for the future of Axial. Axial is [...]

On-the-ground in Asia …

Larry Edelson — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:13:57 +0000

Right now I'm on a tour through Asia and judging by what I’m seeing here, there are very few signs of a slowdown!

I am seeing the same vibrant economies wherever I go. In Macau ... in Hong Kong … in Thailand (despite yet another government coup) … and in the mother of all Asian economies, China.

Given what I'm seeing here in Asia, and the current pullback in oil and gas prices, I think now is a great time to take a look at Asian energy companies. Three of my favorites that I think are in the cat-bird seat to feed China's intensely growing energy needs: China Petroleum & Chemical (SNP), CNOOC Ltd. (CEO), Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. Ltd. (YZC).

Keep in mind the pullback you’re seeing in oil and gas prices is nothing more than a much overdue correction in the market. All of my indicators continue to strongly suggest that we will see $150 oil and then $200 oil early next year.

So don’t let any bearish comments on the energy markets steer you away from the long-term trends ... whether energy or Asia!

My Three Top Asian Energy Companies …

Larry Edelson — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:30:00 +0000

I'm writing this while on a short holiday in Macau, Asia's booming Las Vegas. And let me tell you (again) — judging by what I'm seeing in Macau, there are very few signs of a slowdown in ...

Holloman Energy Group Inc. (HENC.OB) Finds Majors Circling to Take Advantage of its Australian Oil Holdings

QualityStocks — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:39:48 +0000

Finding a nugget in the rough when it comes to energy companies is no small feat. The companies are either too small to be considered hugely profitable for some time to come or they have gotten too big to find substantial value/profit potential. Every once in a while, however, a company can be found with [...]

Another Nasty Oil Correction Is Close at Hand

Thomas Keller — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:50:56 +0000

By Ian Davis On June 16, I predicted an imminent, “nasty correction” in crude oil. That correction may now be underway. Crude oil plummeted more than $15 in the last three days. And a lot more downside is in the works. I think oil could be headed as low as $50. But today, let’s talk natural gas… [...]