pJan 5, 2009 (WALL STREET JOURNAL) -- As the U.S. seeks to stockpile oil, China has been doing the same, observers say, and is expected to quicken the pace -- a development that already may be helping to boost oil prices./ppOn Friday, the U.S. Department of Energy said that amid low oil prices, it aims to fill the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to capacity this year./ppThat news followed a rare public statement last week from China's top energy official, Zhang Guobao, head of the National Energy Administration, in the People's Daily newspaper that China should take advantage of the falling global energy demand to increase its oil reserves. Mr Zhang said China will quot;encourage companies to utilize idle storage capacity to increase inventories.quot;/ppOil prices have been rising lately. On Friday, oil closed up 3.9% to $46.34 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange./ppThough China doesn't disclose its oil inventories ...

Job market takes another turn for the worse… unemployment data at 26-year high… Government solution:spend… budget and trade deficits swell more than expected… Byron King on falling oil demand… and what it means for long-term investors… Gold soars… Ed Bugos with some fresh price targets… Signs of the times… Chinese bank opens in U.S., world’s biggest LBO collapses… Plus, Chris Mayer on the automaker bailout

Americans filed over 573,000 jobless claims last week — the most since 1982.

The Labor Dept. also said the number of people collecting unemployment reached a 26-year high too, 4,429,000.

Unfortunately, we’re just getting started if a study released this morning by UCLA is accurate. The Anderson School of Management predicts we will see negative GDP for the current and first two quarters of 2009… and the unemployment rate to

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HIDDEN VALUE

Dear Value Seeker,

Welcome to the Frankenstein Fed.

Today, the WSJ reports that the wonks at the central bank are now “weighing up” having the Fed issue its own debt.

It seems the poor central planners have gotten themselves into a bit of a twist while trying to mend America’s Humpty Dumpty economy.

It seems the Fed is pumping so much money into the system that it is running dangerously low on its stockpile of Treasury bonds, which it draws on to finance its funding programs.

And the Treasury isn’t too keen anymore to raise any more debt on behalf of the Fed.

Hank Paulson and his buddies have been issuing debt and leaving the proceeds on deposit with the Fed. But in November, the Treasury said in November it was “scaling back” on this.

You see, the Treasury is undertaking its own massive borrowing

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Energy investors may find themselves at odds in weighing whether to put their money into fossil fuels or green alternatives. Two separate articles in today’s Wall Street Journal provide a good backdrop for the current dilemma. Ultimately, we’re of the opinion that it’s still too early for alternative energy to make a convincing business case.

In one story, the Journal covers a recently released annual report from the International Energy Agency. According to the Journal, the IAE paints a gloomy picture of energy shortages and escalating costs of discovery and recovery.

The IAE says that current low oil prices are an anomaly linked to the economic crisis embracing the world. Eventually, when the economy regains its health, oil prices will continue to climb over the coming years to hit $200 a barrel by 2030.

One problem with energy prices remains a dilapidated infrastructure. In turn, energy companies would have to invest more than

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Sara Nunnally says Middle Eastern states are using their petro-dollar Sovereign Wealth Funds to boost their international profile and reduce dependence on oil. She says “following the money” is a good way for investors to profit from this shift in global economic and financial power.

This from Taipan Publising’s emerging market blog:

Last Tuesday, I told Taipan Publishing Group subscribers in Taipan Insider that one Middle Eastern country was injecting massive amounts of cash into international markets.

That’s not really news nowadays, though, is it? Everyone’s heard of the $7.5 billion Citigroup (NYSE:C) bailout by Abu Dhabi back in November 2007.

But things have noticably been slowing down. When billions of dollars worth of investments get halved in value in less than a year, it makes you think.

Yet for some regions, this credit crunch is an opportunity of a lifetime.

Think about it. You’re an oil-rich nation with foreign currency

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The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Friday said it would cut oil production quotas by 1.5 million barrels a day in an attempt to put a floor under oil prices, which have plunged nearly 60% from their July record.

“Oil prices have witnessed a dramatic collapse - unprecedented in speed and magnitude,” OPEC said, adding that prices have fallen to levels that could jeopardize “many existing oil projects and lead to the cancellation or delay of others, possibly resulting in a medium-term supply shortage.”

The 1.5 million-barrel daily reduction exceeded the expectation of many analysts, but failed to rally crude prices which have plummeted 57% since hitting a record high record high of $147.27 a barrel on July 11.  Light, sweet crude for November delivery fell $3.09, or 4.55%, to settle at $64.75 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Friday.

“The financial crisis is already having a noticeable impact

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The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Friday said it would cut oil production quotas by 1.5 million barrels a day in an attempt to put a floor under oil prices, which have plunged nearly 60% from their July record. "Oil prices have witnessed a dramatic collapse - unprecedented in speed and magnitude," OPEC said, adding that prices have fallen to levels that could jeopardize "many existing oil projects and lead to the cancellation or delay of others, possibly resulting in a medium-term supply shortage." The 1.5 million-barrel daily reduction exceeded the expectation of many analysts, but failed to rally crude prices which have plummeted 57% since hitting a record high record high of $147.27 a barrel on July 11.  Light, sweet crude for November delivery fell $3.09, or 4.55%, to settle at $64.75 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Friday. "The ...

Oil prices slid below $75 a barrel yesterday (Wednesday) skidding to a new 12-month low and increasing the chances that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will cut production at its next meeting on Nov. 18.

Light, sweet crude for November delivery fell $4.47, or 5.68%, to settle at $74.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The price has now tumbled nearly 50% since peaking at a record-high of $147.27 on July 11. Gas prices have followed suit dropping 25% since breaching $4 a gallon in July. A gallon of regular gas fell by about 4 cents a gallon overnight to a new national average of $3.125, auto club AAA reported.

The credit crisis has emaciated countries around the world, sparking fears that a severe global recession is just beginning to set in. The outlook for energy has darkened substantially as a result.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) lowered its forecast

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The price of oil, which has been on a rollercoaster as of late, has once again dropped. This time oil prices dipped below $75 a barrel today, which is a new 13-month low. A gallon of regular gas fell nearly 4 cents overnight to a new national average of $3.125, according to auto club AAA. Signs are not pointing to an increase in demand after the gasoline price drop.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said rich nations in 2009 are expected to need only 400,000 barrels a day more oil than this year. Total oil consumption dropped in developed countries by more than 1 million barrels a day as of September over a 12 month period. Could this be the outcome of a mass attempt at conservation?

When the skyrocketing price of oil shot through the roof in July, reaching an apex of $147.27 on July 11,

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In the energy market Tuesday, crude for November delivery recovered modestly from Monday’s selloff, closing at $90.06/barrel, up $2.25. November reformulated gasoline added less than a half-cent, to $2.0628/gallon.