Oil as a commodity is an interesting real asset. What investments most directly create the economic effect of owning oil itself?

The best answer would be to own an oil well, or better yet, own an entire oil exporting country.  However, neither of those options is a practical answer for most investors, certainly not owning a country (unless, of course you are born into the right family).

So what are the practical options for the rest of us?  Among others, they include:

futures contracts funds that invest in futures contracts exchange traded notes that are priced to a futures index royalty trusts that own oil in the ground integrated oil companies oil & gas exploration companies oil & gas production companies general energy funds alternate fuels options on any of the above.

Options are a speculation that expire in time, so we’ll exclude them from the “ownership” consideration.  Futures provide a 1:1 price participation, but they also expire with time, and rolling from

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China North East Petroleum Holdings Limited, a pioneer in China’s oilfield drilling and production industry, today announced a spectacular increase in revenue and net income for the third quarter of 2008.

Total sales for the third quarter increased 227% over the same quarter last year to $19.7 million. The jump was due to an increase in crude oil production, and the price received for crude oil from PetroChina (PTR), the company’s sole customer. Crude oil production doubled to 172,730 barrels over the same quarter last year. The production boost was attributed to refracturing improvements, and the implementation of water injection technology, improving the efficiency of existing oil wells, together with the addition of 30 new wells drilled during the third quarter.

Gross profit also soared for the quarter, increasing 241%, to $9.2 million, with net income jumping 229% to $4.0 million.

Quarterly results boosted nine-month sales figures from $11.8 million last

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Bald Eagle Energy is a relatively new company with one simple goal: To decrease America’s dependency on foreign oil through the development of domestic sources. Based out of Houston Texas, and with its primary operations in oil-rich Alaska, Bald Eagle is poised to become a significant player in the American oil and gas industry.

In the spring of 2008, the company entered into an agreement to purchase a 100 percent interest in six leases in Alaska’s North Slope Basin, a region famed for the vast stores of oil contained therein. The exploration areas that Bald Eagle have acquired, totaling more than 18,000 acres, are in close proximity to the largest oil field in North America; The Prudhoe Bay Field.

Alaska’s North Slope is excellent evidence of the untapped resources at America’s disposal. In fact, the region accounts for approximately twenty percent of all domestic oil

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Michigan is best known for its auto industry and its beautiful shoreline, which is also the largest freshwater coastline in the world. Although Michigan’s main industry today continues to be the manufacturing industry, the state government encourages different industries to locate in the state through its attractive incentive programs. Some interesting facts about Michigan follow:1. Michigan’s manufacturing industry produces 30% of the total state revenue.2. Recently enacted legislation mandates that by 2015, Michigan’s energy be produced from renewable sources.3. Michigan has a tax-free zone designed for the food processing industry, the forestry industry and the renewable energy industry.4. Michigan’s top agricultural products are dairy products, cattle and calves, hogs and chicken eggs.5. Michigan is the top producer of automobiles in the United States. Its production accounts for 21% of all automobiles manufactured within the country.6. In 2007 ...

Pinnacle Energy Corp. (PEMC.OB) is a junior oil and gas exploration company focused on acquiring and developing mature oil and gas producing assets. Formerly named Gas Salvage, the company has recently completed a name change and a three-for-one forward stock split.

Recently, Pinnacle Energy announced that they had acquired working interests in six wells located in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, for $1 million. Pinnacle Energy has a working interest of 25.5% in two wells, 20% in three wells, and a 17% working interest in the remaining well.

Five of the six wells produce high-gravity light sweet crude oil, and the sixth is a saltwater disposal well. As of August 27, 2008, the five oil wells are producing 20 barrels of oil per day and 30,000 cubic feet of gas per day net for Pinnacle Energy. Pinnacle Energy also has a nearly 45% working interest in a 40-acre oil and gas lease located in

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There's a lot going on in the energy space. Will we drill offshore? Will we embrace Natural Gas as an alternative to gasoline for powering vehicles? Will alternative energy tax credits get extended to promote wind and solar? How low will Crude Oil prices drop? And will it ever bring down gas prices?Well, to begin with, we got some news from OPEC today. They chose to cut their output. Bottom line is the like oil prices better at $120 or $140/barrel than at $103 or potentially lower. This seems all too strange. Wasn't President Bush recently going to Saudi Arabia to beg them to increase production? The bottom line here is you can say all you want about demand destruction, but for the mean time, these guys are still pulling the strings, and they like oil prices high....

Independent oil and gas producer, Pinnacle Energy Corp. (OTCBB: PENC), formerly Gas Salvage Corp., announced the acquisition of working interests in six wells in Pawnee County, Okla., for $1 million. The news sent shares of Pinnacle Energy soaring nearly 33 percent, to 98 cents near noon.

The company’s interest in the wells lies in reports that as of August 27, 2008, the five oil wells are producing 20 barrels of oil per day, and 30 MCF of gas per day. Pinnacle Energy will retain a 25.5 percent net revenue interest in two wells, a 20 percent working interest in three wells, and a 17 percent interest in the remaining well.

According to Pinnacle Energy CEO Nolan Weir, the company is looking forward to long- and short-term benefits from the acquired wells. “Current production and reserve reports suggest that the Glencoe field in Pawnee County, Oklahoma, has excellent long-term development potential,”

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Independent oil and gas producer, Pinnacle Energy Corp. (OTCBB: PENC), formerly Gas Salvage Corp., today announced the acquisition of working interests in six wells in Pawnee County, Okla. for $1 million. The news sent shares of Pinnacle Energy soaring nearly 33 percent, to 98 cents.

According to the press release, five of the six wells produce high gravity light sweet crude oil; the sixth is a saltwater disposal well. The company’s interest in the wells lies in reports that as of August 27, 2008, the five oil wells are producing 20 barrels of oil per day, and 30 MCF of gas per day. Pinnacle Energy will retain a 25.5 percent net revenue interest in two wells, a 20 percent working interest in three wells, and a 17 percent interest in the remaining well.

According to Pinnacle Energy CEO Nolan Weir, the company is looking forward to long- and short-term benefits

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The Rocky Mountain region of the United States has an estimated 34 million barrels of original oil. After this oil is recovered by traditional means, approximately 23 billion barrels of oil will be left behind. Ameriwest Energy Corp. (OTCBB: AWEC) has positioned itself to capitalize on this oil, focusing on the production of underdeveloped oil resources in the Rocky Mountain to find a balance between low-risk recovery projects and exploration plays with significant upside potential.

The company today announced its formal intention to exercise its right to purchase oil and gas mineral leases adjoining its recent Geary Prospect acquisition. While Muddy Mineral Exploration, LLC was the highest bidder in the United States Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management auction, the company extended an offer of first right of refusal to Ameriwest on an 80 percent Net Revenue Interest.

The purchase in mention is for a 10-year Federal

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Uranium Energy Corp. (UEC), with their corporate office in Austin, Texas, trades on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) as part of the Industrial Metals and Minerals industry. They are a junior resource company dedicated to becoming a near-term ISR (in-situ recovery) uranium producer in the United States. ISR mining is a noninvasive, environmentally friendly mining process involving minimal surface disturbance. Uranium Energy Corp. controls one of the largest historical uranium exploration and development databases in America.

The company has acquired advanced uranium properties throughout the southwestern states by utilizing these databases. These databases, combined with a management team comprised of pre-eminent uranium mining and exploration professionals with years of collective experience, has UEC poised for further growth. The company recently received a Draft Mine Permit for their lead project, the Goliad ISR Uranium Project in south Texas.

Yesterday, Uranium Energy Corp. announced the finalization of drilling plans for their 100 percent-owned Nichols

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