The mad rush to US Treasuries has driven yields down to measly levels. But Andrew Gordon says investors can find much better returns with Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). Better still, large-cap pipeline MLPs get their revenues from fees, and so are less exposed to wild swings in oil and gas prices.

This from Investor’s Daily Edge:

The chart below is only one month old. But in their recent flight toward safety, investors have driven the yield of the 10-year Treasuries down to 2.13 percent – below the three percent shown in the chart.

That rate doesn’t even keep up with the rate of inflation.

On the other hand, parts of the stock market are throwing up some hefty yields. Take a look at these…

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In the following outlook on the chemicals & fertilizer industry, we cite these stocks: Agrium, Inc. (AGU), CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (CF) and Georgia Gulf Corporation (GGC).The industry is divided into commodity chemicals (45%) and specialty chemicals (55%). The commodity segment tends to be more concentrated; cost reductions, improving yield from better technology and economies of scale are important. In the specialty segment, margins are higher due to better pricing and more efficient operations.OPPORTUNITIESDemand for fertilizers is driven by crop prices that are currently at high levels. At these levels, fertilizer demand should be steady at worst, and with reduced capacity, prices should stay firm. The use of ethanol is fuel is also keeping prices high.The chemical industry is a large consumer of oil, natural gas and energy. Raw material costs have been at historically high levels, which was a very ...

Now that oil and gas prices have retreated from unsustainable levels, oil and gas exploration and development companies have begun to step back and assess where their prospects for future development and profit lie. Some may sell percentages of leases while others may drill. Having data in hand to make longer term decisions will be a key element for smaller oil and gas companies going forward. Finding those companies, that have planned for the long haul, is the path to profit. Finding them is the trick.

Kodiak Energy Inc., a development stage oil and gas exploration company, works to develop and extract oil and gas primarily in the United States and Canada. The company is currently focusing its efforts on winter drilling opportunities in Canada.

Although the company has solid prospects in both the United States and Canada, it is currently focusing a majority of its effort on its “Lucy” northern British

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Amid ongoing concerns for the overall health of world economies and sharply-falling demand, U.S. crude oil futures sank more than $4 on Monday. Crude slated for December delivery fell below $64 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The level reflects a drop of more than five percent in a single afternoon. At least for the moment, lowered oil and gas prices are giving a break to market-weary consumers at the pumps.

Let us hear your thoughts below:

T-3 Energy Services (NASDAQ:TTES) provides essential safety equipment for oil and gas rigs. Though drilling activity has been affected by the fall in commodity prices, Chris Mayer says the stock has been massively oversold. Today it is trading at $19, down from a high of $84 last year. Given its healthy cash flow and strong international growth outlook, Chris says a move back to $60 is on the cards.

This from The Rude Awakening:

The last time I recommended T-3 Energy Services (NASDAQ:TTES) to the subscribers of my investment letter, Capital & Crisis, the stock tripled over the ensuing months. And even after I issued a “Sell” recommendation on the stock, it continued to move higher. But that was WAY back in July…and nothing is like it used to be.

From a high of $84 a share in July of this year, the stock has come all

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Global stocks are getting mauled again today. Wild market swings are making stock investing a risky business. But Floyd Brown says little-known Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) provide a steady dividend income and are extremely cheap right now. They have the tax benefits of a partnership, but the liquidity of a publicly traded stock. Floyd gives his three favourite MLP plays in the energy sector.

This from Investment U:

Most investors have never heard of, or purchased, shares of a master limited partnership (MLP). But, with many yielding more than 10% and prices at historically low levels, these bargains are getting hard to ignore.

Few investors know that master limited partnerships are publicly traded asset pools. They have the tax benefits of a partnership plus the liquidity of a publicly traded stock.

Because they invest in many different types of assets, most master limited partnerships have significant debts on the balance sheet and

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The turmoil in US stock markets is making all the headlines. But BRIC nations are facing a much deeper crisis in their stock markets.

On Monday, authorities halted trading on Brazil's Bovespa for 30 minutes after it tumbled 10%. Trading in Russia was frozen on several occasions in the last two weeks to prevent an all-out collapse of the market. And China's CSI Index has lost 58% of its value so far this year.

Despite recent setbacks, however, Andrew Gordon reckons Brazil is the most likely of the pack to weather the current financial storm

Open Energy Corporation (OEGY.OB), a California-based solar power development company, announced Thursday that it has completed installation of its largest solar electric project to date, totaling 17,000+ square feet of glass panels embedded with photovoltaic cells, for the California Academy of Sciences, a soon-to-open science museum in San Francisco.

The solar panel array will ring the museum’s roof, generating 213,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, or about 10% of the Academy’s anticipated electrical needs, and will be one of the biggest photovoltaic glass canopies in the United States. The solar installation will also be a key factor in the Academy’s attempt to achieve LEED Platinum certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) from the U. S. Green Building Council.

Open Energy is a renewable energy company with a focus on solar energy and photovoltaics. The company emphasizes that, every day, the earth receives enough solar energy to fulfill its entire energy requirements for

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Last week’s crude and gasoline inventories dropped more than expected as the effects of Hurricane Gustav resulted in some production disruptions. Gustav, which struck last month, was the fourth-most-destructive storm to hit the United States, causing $20 billion in damages. And then came Hurricane Ike. Ike made landfall in the Galveston area of the U.S. Gulf Coast on in the pre-dawn hours Saturday (the day I was penning this column) as a Category 2 storm with winds hitting 110 miles per hour.  Ike’s path toward Houston makes it the first storm to hit a major U.S. metropolitan area since Hurricane Katrina eviscerated New Orleans in 2005, Bloomberg News reported. We won’t know how much direct damage those high winds from Hurricane Ike will cause for several days at least. From the initial reports, the results appear to be devastating. But the indirect costs are ...

We are maintaining our Buy recommendation on Plains Exploration & Production Co. (PXP) and increasing our target price from $84 to $91 per share. The company is poised for solid growth over the next several years with Piceance, Panhandle and Gulf Basin assets helping to drive production in a meaningful way.

However, the recent 20% acquisition of Chesapeake Energy Corp.’s (CHK) Haynesville Shale play will likely be the cornerstone of the company’s long-term growth story, as there are more than 20 Tcfe of reserves in place on its gross acreage. Additionally, the company has hedged a meaningful portion of its oil and gas production for '09 at favorable pricing, thus mitigating the risk of volatile prices.

We estimate that even if crude prices fell to $85/Bbl and natural gas prices fell to $6.50/Mcf, PXP would still realize oil and gas prices around $100 per barrel and $8 per Mcf in

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