Geo-political tensions are mounting in the global energy game. And that could make investing in oil right now the trade of the year, says Manraaj Singh. Buying shares of oil majors is a good move now. But Manraaj says quality mid-sized oil companies are best placed to return big profits in the next oil bull run.

This from Fleet Street Invest:

Israeli tanks have just rolled into Gaza…Almost three thousand miles away, Nigerian separatist blew-up an oil pipeline over the weekend…Meanwhile, Russia is locked in a dispute over the price of gas with Ukraine. Today they stopped deliveries of natural gas to Ukraine, Turkey and Europe to force the Ukrainians to pay up…

While fears about political instability drive the price of oil back up again, the OPEC oil barons are tightening the screws on global oil supplies…Oil was trading at just $35 per barrel on Christmas Eve. It’s over $50 this

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OPEC cuts 2.2 million bpd of crude output… Dealers say record cut not enough to offset demand slide

Oil prices dropped 3 percent on Wednesday after OPEC announced a record supply cut that dealers said may fail to offset slumping world energy demand.

U.S. crude oil prices fell $1.40 to $42.20 a barrel by 1:35 p.m. EST (1835 GMT), after dipping to a more than four year low of $40.20 earlier in the trading session. London Brent rose 66 cents to $47.31 per barrel.

Oil prices have fallen more than $100 since July as a global financial crisis cuts into consumer and industrial fuel demand, and top forecasters are now predicting the first decline in world energy use since 1983.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, eager to push prices back up, announced on Wednesday an agreement to cut 2.2 million barrels per

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Gold eases in quiet trade, traders eye next week’s data… Gold set for biggest gain since 1999 on safe haven buying

Gold edged down on Friday as the dollar firmed against the euro, but trading was quiet as investors awaited the outcome of OPEC’s production meeting this weekend and a spate of data due next week for fresh impetus.

Spot gold was quoted at $810.00/812.50 an ounce at 1310 GMT, down from $814.60 an ounce late on Thursday, as the firmer dollar dented interest in the metal as a currency hedge.

The euro slipped after data showed falling inflation in the euro zone, boosting expectations the European Central Bank will cut interest rates further. [ID:nLS548735]

Falling oil prices are also doing little to help gold, which typically moves in line with crude. Traders are awaiting the outcome of this weekend’s meeting of the OPEC oil cartel,

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In the energy market Monday, oil gave up more ground, with crude for December delivery closing at $54.95/barrel, down $2.09. Gasoline for December delivery dropped 6.5 cents, to $1.1746/gallon.

OPEC President Chakib Khelil said Sunday that the oil cartel may have to wait until December to take action to reach an oil price of $70 to $90 a barrel, since the impact of its latest supply cuts was not clear yet.

But OPEC’s emergency cut that began November 1 “did not mop up excess supply in the market - and another cut in December … may need the cooperation of non-OPEC members to have any teeth,” said Thomas Hartmann, of Altavest Worldwide Trading.

In the meantime, “the continued rumblings of OPEC moving yet another meeting up ahead of schedule to continue slashing output, coupled with the U.S. entering peak heating demand season are helping set a floor under prices,” wrote

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Lately, the American consumer has been pleasantly surprised when they have gone to fill up their gas tank. While the price of gas was hovering near and above the $4 range, prices have dropped to the $2.40 area. While consumers are happily surprised by the decrease in the price of oil, they forget that they are still paying much more than they were a year ago and that this price cut may be short lived. One company has not lost sight of this fact. That company is Hybrid Technology.

The Las Vegas, Nevada based Hybrid Technologies was founded in 2000 and built on the idea that there are technologies out there that have not been utilized. Hybrid has made national news because of their Plug-In Electronic Vehicles. The utilization of these electronic vehicles provides the American consumer with options that are

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When people ask me if I think crude oil is going to $50 or $150, I nod sagely and say: “Yes, probably.” I’m not being flip. I’m simply giving both the short-term and the long-term timeframes. Short-term, crude oil is probably heading lower, even though it’s nearly 60% off its highs. The last chance to hold the line on oil prices was at OPEC’s emergency meeting. And the oil cartel choked like a cat on a hairball. They cut 1.5 million barrels per day of production when they needed to cut about 3 million barrels per day. The OPEC meeting was the last obstacle in the way of deflationary forces that are driving oil prices lower in the short-term. Long-term, there are forces that should drive oil much higher. And one of ...