CARBO Ceramics, Inc. (...

Recently, Director of Zacks Equity Research Dirk van Dijk, CFA wrote an article discussing the relative strength of stocks in the oil & gas industry, especially in light of pullbacks in recent days and weeks. We asked him for what specifically floats his boat about oil & gas these days.

You remain bullish on oil drilling companies for the near-term. Can you explain why?

The fact is that it is getting more and more difficult to find new sources of oil, and the existing sources are being depleted at an alarming rate. We are still getting close to peak world-wide oil production. Yes, Congress has now allowed the oil companies to "drill, baby, drill." But what are they going to drill with, a Craftsman cordless?

Drilling rigs and the experienced crews to man them remain in short supply. Even assuming that we find pretty

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As equities commence the dramatic Autumn slump I've been anticipating in recent weeks, it is uninspiring to witness the standard of political debate in the US Presidential election. It seems neither candidate is aware, or at least willing to articulate, the tectonic shifts taking place in global financial power which threaten to severely limit the room for manoeuvre of any future administration, not only economically, but diplomatically and militarily as well. We hear references to Iran and Russia as geopolitical challenges, but nobody is talking yet about a bigger threat right on America's doorstep, the potential implosion of the Mexican state. There are two pressing issues that are putting intolerable stresses on the Mexican economy and society; the first is the huge escalation in drug related violence and corruption, as US support for the Colombian war on drugs has displaced Cartel activity into Mexico, now the primary base for ...

[“Election 2008" is an ongoing Money Morning series that examines the investor implications of the presidential election campaign] By Martin Hutchinson Contributing Editor One thing is clear about John McCain’s economic policies: They won’t be a mere continuation of George W. Bush’s policies. They can’t afford to be. While Bush’s tax cuts have been highly beneficial both to the stock market and to investors directly, the Bush Administration has taken what was a $150 billion federal budget surplus and transformed it into a $400-billion-plus deficit. That’s at a time when stock markets and real estate markets have been ebullient, producing lots of bonuses and capital gains to tax. Most of the deficit increase has resulted from sloppiness on spending; only about one third of the negative swing has been caused by the Bush tax cuts. Some of those cuts – most notably the 2003 ...

Part 2 – In Her Wake, the Ground Grew Thirsty

The HorseWoman of Water is sister to the Horseman Famine and a distant cousin to Pestilence. This HorseWoman devastates the landscape and raises your water bills. Here in the United States, we take the simplicity of water for granted. Right now, this very minute, there are people who are suffering because they can’t get access to drinkable water. As our water supplies are being contaminated, fighting breaks out globally for access to fresh, clean water. The next investment opportunity will be to invest in water, and in those that provide it and distribute it. How has this HorseWoman touched every living soul on this planet – read on and find out.

As I was doing the extensive research for this article, it astounded me that the problem was as far reaching and intense as it really is. On Earth, we do

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In this environment, unlike most of the past 2 months we have to pick spots and assume our purchases (as we layer in) will lose money in the near term. This is different than when we buy a pullback in a market that is generally in an uptrend (mid March to late May) - where when you make a purchase on a pullback, you expect a quick bounce. So with that in mind, I am continuing to rebuild a position in DryShips (DRYS), the dry bulk shipper (with deep sea drilling thrown in); but not expecting any sustained move up in the near term. But my first buy target has been reached, so I am executing a purchase.Now, as the rest of Wall Street joins my thesis (eventually) of a global slowdown these stocks could take it on the chin from a perception point ...