Stocks are lower as an unexpected drop in home construction raised concerns about the pace of the economy’s recovery

The Commerce Department said construction of homes and apartments fell 10.6 percent in October to an annual rate of 529,000, well below the pace of 600,000 that economists polled by Thomson Reuters had predicted.

Building permits, a key indication for future activity, slid 4 percent to an annual rate of 552,000, also below the rate of 580,000 that analysts had forecast.

There was little reaction to a report that found inflation at the retail level remained tame as rising unemployment, nervous consumers and tight credit keep prices stable.

The Labor Department said consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in October, slightly above the 0.2 percent economists expected. Core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, rose 0.2 percent, compared to expectations of a 0.1 percent rise.

A report released Tuesday on prices at the wholesale

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LAS VEGAS, Nov. 12, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — News released this week by GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:GWSC), an alternative energy company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions, could mean major advancements in the use of solar power in Arizona. GWS has announced that they are working with Dominion Real Estate Investments, LLC to develop a 36-acre solar farm in Florence, Arizona that could be one of the largest projects in Arizona and, in conjunction with other projects, gives GWS 40 megawatts under development. To put this in perspective, forty megawatts generates enough electricity to provide power to approximately 12,000 homes.

It’s a substantial step forward for GWS Technologies, which has been aggressive in pursuing opportunities in Arizona as the Arizona Corporation Commission has set renewable energy standards mandating that regulated utilities generate at least 15 percent of their power from renewable resources such as

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U.S. Geothermal Inc., a renewable energy company focused on the production of electricity from geothermal energy, owns and operates geothermal power plants at Raft River, Idaho and San Emidio, Nevada, and is developing the Neal Hot Springs project in Oregon. The company strives to create enhanced value for stakeholders while addressing America’s domestic energy needs and promoting a clean environment.

Geothermal energy is energy recovered from the heat of the earth’s interior. Geothermal heat can appear in the form of volcanoes, hot springs and geysers. Classified as a renewable source of electricity, Geothermal energy is an established method of electrical power generation with 2,000 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity in the Western United States.

There are many benefits to utilizing geothermal energy. A geothermal power plant does not burn fuel; energy production is clean, and renewable. It is also a base load source; as a result, geothermal plants are designed to run

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Ocean Power Technologies (Australasia) Pty Ltd (OPTA), a subsidiary of Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., announced on Friday, November 6, the award of a grant from the Federal Government of Australia (FGA).

This grant to OPTA, in partnership with Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd (Leighton), is for $66.46M to build a wave power project off the Australian coastline near Victoria, expected to generate power in the 19-megawatt (MW) range.

This project is the sole wave power-based item among four renewable energy projects awarded funding by the FGA. OPTA and Leighton have formed a special-purpose company, Victorian Wave Partners Pty Ltd, via a collaboration agreement signed in late 2008, to implement wave power-based systems off Australia’s Southeastern coastal areas.

OPTT is an industry leading innovator in wave power architectures; systems which harness the tidal forces of bodies of water to generate electricity. With direct access to a $150B power generation equipment market via

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Oct. 28, 2009 (Business Wire) — GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: GWSC), an alternative energy company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions, sees substantial benefits for wind and solar energy projects in yesterday’s White House announcement that $3.4 billion will be allocated to modernize the nation’s electrical power system to more easily use renewable resources. The money will be released in the form of grants to applicants and must be matched dollar for dollar by private funding. The grants are a result of an allocation of funds to smart grid projects in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

“One of the biggest obstacles to developing more wind and solar power on a utility-size scale has been the lack of transmission lines tied to an electrical grid that’s capable of delivering clean electricity from the best solar and wind sites to the point of

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In a bid to expand its storage capacity, PetroChina (PTR) has started building an oil storage project in Kunming, the capital city of southwestern Yunnan province. The project is expected to handle 1 million tons of freight annually. It will have a storage capacity of 85,000 cubic meters in the first phase and 150,000 cubic meters after the second phase.  Apart from the storage expansion project, PetroChina has also been actively investing in the refining space. In the last month, the company started operations at the $4 billion Dushanzi refining and chemical complex in the Xinjiang province. The complex consists of a refinery and an ethylene plant with capacities of 10 million tons and 1 million tons a year, respectively. The company estimates that the project may generate approximately $8.8 billion in annual revenue.  Despite the tentative global outlook, China’s fuel demand is expected to remain ...

Stocks are lower as a weaker U.S. dollar help lift commodity prices and Johnson & Johnson’s third-quarter sales figures disappointed investors

Stocks fell on Tuesday after disappointing quarterly sales figures from economic bellwether Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) sparked worries about consumer spending, offsetting a lift from higher commodity prices.

The Nasdaq gave up its initial gains at the open.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 53.66 points, or 0.54 percent, at 9,832.14. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index was down 7.19 points, or 0.67 percent, at 1,069.00. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 5.16 points, or 0.24 percent, at 2,133.98.

Yesterday’s Top Performing Small Cap Stock:

GWS Technologies, Inc, (OTC BB: GWSC) was a SmallCapVoice.com top performer yesterday closing up over 8% on trading volume of 19,747 shares.

GWS stands for GreenWindSolar. GWSC is a renewable energy technology company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions. Our

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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: GWSC), an alternative energy company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions, today announced that it has launched an initiative to install solar energy systems in Arizona schools and other state and federal government facilities and has submitted its initial turn-key solar installation proposals. The initiative follows the Arizona Corporation Commission’s recent authorization for the Scottsdale Unified School District to enter into power-purchase agreements for solar systems on two high schools in which the school district will pay a private company for the power.

The decision is seen as allowing schools and other government facilities to benefit from incentives offered by utilities since they are not eligible for federal tax credits. Last month, the Commission approved a utility request for $143 million in extra incentives for commercial systems, including schools, bringing the total amount to roughly $220 million that

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China’s largest integrated oil company, PetroChina Company Ltd. (PTR), has started operations at the $4 billion Dushanzi refining and chemical complex in the Xinjiang province. The complex consists of a refinery and an ethylene plant, with a capacity of 10 million ton and 1 million ton a year, respectively. The refinery, which processes high-sulfur crude oil, will increase the company’s total refining capacity of 2.58 million barrels per day (as of 2008). The company estimates that the project may generate approximately $8.8 billion in annual revenue. Most of PetroChina’s crude oil and natural gas reserves and production-related assets are located in northeastern, northern, southwestern and northwestern China. With the start of this refinery complex, the company is able to import and refine crude oil in the west part of the country. As per the Chinese government’s data, the country’s fuel demand may rise 4% in 2009. ...

Sep. 10, 2009 (Business Wire) — GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:GWSC), an alternative energy company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions, today commented on the September 2, 2009 ruling by the Maricopa County Superior Court affirming that the Arizona Corporation Commission has the authority to set renewable energy standards and allow utilities to collect tariffs to meet them.

The Court ruled that the Commission has the authority to set the standards as part of its ratemaking and policy authority granted by the state’s constitution. The Commission instituted the standards in 2006 requiring all utilities that it oversees to provide 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2025. In order to do that, many of the utilities raised funds through special tariffs associated with renewable energy.

“This ruling is widely seen as a big win for Arizona’s solar industry and will provide incentives to promote

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