Sep. 8, 2009 (Business Wire) — Cobra Oil & Gas Company (OTCBB: CGCA) (hereafter “Cobra”) is pleased to notify an approval by the Obama administration for a pipeline to carry oil-sands fuel from Canada into the U.S., sending a positive economic signal in a difficult economic period. The pipeline will amass 1000 miles and is designed to carry up to 800,000 barrels of fuel a day from Canada’s vast oil sands.

Enbridge Energy will take on the building of the pipeline as the U.S. aims to diversify oil supplies coming into the country and increase crude oil supplies from a major non-Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries producer while shortening the transportation path for crude oil supplies.

“As the United States looks for more diverse oil supplies for domestic use, the Oil Sands will consequently gain importance,” stated Max Pozzoni, Cobra’s President. “The enormous oil sands potential within North America will

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This post is a guest contribution by Niels Jensen*, chief executive partner of London-based Absolute Return Partners.

It is not universally appreciated, but the last 25-30 years have, in general, been staggeringly good to most investors. Technology induced productivity enhancements combined with favourable demographic trends, minimal government involvement, accommodating labour unions and the globalisation of international trade have all contributed to a benign inflation environment and strong economic growth, leading to arguably the biggest bull market of all times in both bonds and equities.

So much for the good news. The long lasting tail winds have finally turned around, and we now face, and will most likely continue to face, head winds for years to come. The list is long, but some of the most important factors contributing to this change include:

The demise of the Anglo-Saxon consumer driven growth model:

The Anglo-Saxon consumer is exhausted; he

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Each year, generally in May, the Energy Information Administration publishes a less-than-eagerly-anticipated tome called the International Energy Outlook, 250+ pages of mind-numbing text, charts, graphs, and tables.

No one reads it. The mainstream media ignore it.

It’s the product of the best prognosticators in the Department of Energy. Okay, that may be what puts most people off. But if you’re patient enough to dig into it, it will cough up some fascinating nuggets of information.

The present edition is no exception. The report refrains from spelling out the conclusion that seems most obvious from its data. However, confirming a trend begun just last year, the 2009 edition clearly reveals that the government has been forced to admit that Peak Oil is coming. Moreover, it’s expected to arrive much faster than was believed as recently as two years ago.

This represents a remarkable turnaround in the agency’s opinion. Up until 2008, they were predicting unbroken

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Reconstructing an oil deposit consumed by fire in the north Siberia's Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area will cost $48 million.  Despite the huge blaze, pipeline operator Transneft says that regional oil supplies are secure.  The conflagration was blamed on a lightning strike.  Further details on the Russia-Mongolia uranium deal, which apparently settled a $150 million debt owed to Moscow, are to be on Reuters.  The Dornad deposit at the center of the deal supposedly holds seven times as much uranium as Russia mined last year.  Taftnet has struck oil in Libya's Ghadames Basin.  RusHydro is hoping to raise electricity rates over what is permitted by the government in order to rebuild its Siberian power plant.  TNK-BP is hoping to recover $204 million from the Federal Customs Service for overpaid customs duties.  Pipeline maker Transneft may sell $1.12 ...

International banks, the EU and Ukraine have met an agreement on Kiev reforming its gas sector that will allow the country to receive up to $1.7 billion in loans to secure gas transit.  The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said it could provide $300m for immediate working capital and up to $450m in 2010 for investment.  President Medvedev has opened the 75% Russian-owned $720 million hydropower plant in Tajikistan.  US murmurings about how to limit speculative trading on oil is prompting market figures in Russia to consider how these rules may affect their trading.  TNK-BP will start pumping oil from five new fields in Siberia in 2013 and 2014.  RFE/RL examines the interplay between China, the EU and Russia for control of energy resources in central Asia, with analysts describing the efficiency of China's strategy, ...

* Nigerian rebels say blow up Shell wellhead in Niger Delta

Oil rose towards $71 a barrel on Friday after Nigerian rebels said they blew up a wellhead in a Royal Dutch Shell oilfield and as equity markets rallied on perceptions the global recession was easing.

The move followed a 2 percent gain on Thursday and put oil on course for a 7 percent gain this week, buoyed by prospects for an economic recovery that has lifted prices from below $40 over the past four months.

The release of the June consumer sentiment index by the Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers later on Friday was expected to reflect a mildly improving outlook for the U.S. economy, auguring well for ailing world energy demand.

U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product shrank less than estimated, suggesting the downturn was easing.

By 1110 GMT, benchmark August U.S. crude oil was up 50 cents per barrel at $70.73, having hit a

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American markets at a standstill… can the Far East drive stocks forward? … Chris Mayer on buying “what China needs, but can’t make for itself” … Dan Denning’s pair trade for the next decade … Bill Bonner and Goldman Sach’s CEO on the current “bull market” … Plus, a CEO pay debate fills our inbox… your letters and our response, below…

The Dow crashed 1.4 points yesterday, wiping out Monday’s 1.3 point moonshot. Desperate for something beyond these 0.014% “swings,” the market’s putting China in the driver’s seat today… and these guys still have quite a lead foot:

Chinese auto sales soared 34% in May, year over year. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the Red Nation scooped up 1.12 million vehicles last month, outpacing any nation in the world. Consider the course of the last 12 months,

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Shady dealings in the east: a firm run by Ukrainian businessman Dmitry Firtash has said it is struggling to regain control of Emfesz, a large Hungarian gas distributor, after it appeared that its interest in the company had been 'fraudulently' transferred to a mysterious firm called RosGas, that has been linked to Gazprom.  A pair of American brothers employed at TNK-BP have been found guilty of spying on Gazprom by a Moscow court.  A 'LNG supply tsunami' is reportedly improbable.  Reuters looks at the new greenhouse goals and has a factbox on the world's top oil trading houses.  It seems unlikely that OPEC will announce a further cut in oil output as prices become more stable.  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has approved the nationalization of a group of oil service companies.  The Finnish President ...

While downside risks remain, the overall outlook for the oil sector has improved in recent days, owing largely to the tentative signs of a supply response to anemic global demand. With demand falling sharply due to worldwide economic problems, inventories started building at a faster rate since last fall.In response, OPEC (which accounts for roughly 40% of all oil supplies) announced a number of production cuts. While there was ample skepticism early on regarding OPEC's ability to enforce the announced cuts, recent evidence suggests a significant level of compliance within the cartel.As such, while oil prices over the coming weeks will track the outlook for the global economy, the commodity's improved supply situation is expected to help prices consolidate around current levels.Natural gas, on the other hand, is a North American story and developments here over the coming months will determine its outlook....

The new joint venture recently formed between Axial Vector Energy Corp. (AXVC.PK) and privately held Petrosonics, to market Petrosonics’ advanced sulfur removal technologies, is significantly strengthened by the presence of worldwide government movements to reduce sulfur emissions from automotive fuels. In addition, there is now increasing pressure to expand sulfur emission regulations to locomotives, ships, and other off-road fuels. Recently California proposed requiring ocean-going vessels to use lower-sulfur marine distillates when within 24 nautical miles of the coastline.

Standard sulfur reduction technologies, such as hydrotreatment, are not cost effective for most small to mid-sized refineries, nor can they meet the anticipated global demand for zero sulfur levels. Petrosonics’ technologies, on the other hand, cover most of the oil producers and refiners in the world, irrespective of refinery configuration.

Oxidative desulfurization technology can be used for multiple fuels, including gasoline and diesel. Utilization can

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