EnCana Corporation (

MasTec, Inc. (...

This article is about striking taxi drivers in Chongqing, China's fourth largest city, but it included one nugget of information that fascinated me. The strike was caused by "insufficient supplies of compressed natural gas, which powers most taxis in the city." I have never been to Chongqing and I had not seen any natural gas powered taxis in the cities I have been to so this was new news to me. There may be an investment opportunity hidden somewhere in that natural gas food chain. Perhaps CNOOC (NYSE:CEO), the largest natural gas producer in China.

Some 23 different companies have been deleted in the blue chip benchmark since June alone as the credit crisis takes its toll.

 

 

The S&P 500 is set to add another exchange to its blue chip index. After the close of trading on Tuesday, the Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. will replace department store chain Dillard's Inc., which has occupied the blue chip benchmark's last spot.

The shift follows the addition of Comstock Resources Inc., an oil and natural gas producer, to the S&P MidCap 400 index. It replaced Entercom Communications Corp., a radio broadcaster that was listed as the benchmark's 400th largest company based on market-cap size when the move was made last week.

Also, the S&P SmallCap 600 index has made two changes within the past week. One of those involved replacing wireless tech provider EMS Technologies with Radio One Inc.  At the same time, Integral Systems Inc. was added and Fleetwood Enterprises, which makes recreational vehicles, fell out of the benchmark.

This

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Some 23 different companies have been deleted in the blue chip benchmark since June alone, as the credit crisis takes its toll.

 

The S&P 500 is set to add another exchange to its blue chip index. After the close of trading on Tuesday, the NASDAQ OMX Group Inc. will replace department store chain Dillard's Inc., which has occupied the blue chip benchmark's last spot.

The shift follows the addition of Comstock Resources Inc., an oil and natural gas producer, to the S&P MidCap 400 index. It replaced Entercom Communications Corp., a radio broadcaster that was listed as the benchmark's 400th largest company based on market-cap size when the move was made last week.

Also, the S&P SmallCap 600 index has made two changes within the past week. One of those involved replacing wireless tech provider EMS Technologies with Radio One Inc.  At the same time, Integral Systems Inc. was added

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American Oil & Gas Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Commencing operations in January of 2003, the company lists on the American Stock Exchange. They engage in the exploration, development, and production of hydrocarbon reserves, mainly in the Rocky Mountain region.

American currently owns interests in three core project areas: Douglas-Fetter, Goliath, and Krejci. Drilling is underway in all three of these areas, which represent company-acquired interests in more than 500,000 gross acres. These three projects are in areas where there is historical evidence of the existence of hydrocarbons.

The company’s Douglas acreage Fetter Prospect is in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming. The company is currently focusing on drilling three to eight additional wells in this area before 2008 ends. These wells will be within six miles of a natural gas processing plant, which means they will be wells that generate revenues quickly.

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Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev today pledged $20 billion in financial support for the Russian stock market and cut oil taxes in an attempt to bring a halt to what has now become Russia's worst financial crisis in a decade. Medvedev took this action in order to try to lay the basis for a reopening of Russia's bourses tomorrow, following three days of irregular operation on the back of a 25% drop in the Micex Index. Following the announcement Russian shares traded in London surged and the interbank lending rate plunged.The announcement followed a meeting between Medvedev, the central bank Chairman Sergey Ignatiev and Russia's Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin. Ignatiev also announced that central bank reserve requirements for Russia's banks would be eased in an attempt to provide more liquidity.The tax cut for oil exports will come into effect on Oct. 1 and save producers and refiners ...

Recently, we discussed oil prices and their affect on the oil & gas industry with Zacks senior analyst Sheraz Mian. He helped give us some well-needed perspective, as well as his top picks within the space.

Oil prices have been steadily coming down in recent days – from the all-time high of around $147 to under $110 at present. Are we seeing the bursting of the oil bubble?

I wouldn’t call crude oil’s strength of the last few years as a bubble. While some ‘irrational exuberance’, to borrow a phrase from the former Fed Chief, could have been at work in oil’s doubling in price over the past year prior to its recent pullback, there are nevertheless sound fundamental reasons for the commodity’s historical strength.

The mismatch between the growth rates of supply and demand has been the driving force behind the current oil price cycle. The current pullback reflects

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