The base metals were all strongly positive on Tuesday. Copper rose from the pre-dawn hours straight through the New York day, just edging below its intraday highs to finish at $1.5308/lb., up more than 10½ cents. Nickel peaked as New York opened, but only slipped a little during the day, closing at $5.8665/lb., up more than 23¾ cents.

Zinc had a decent day, ending at its intraday high of $0.581/lb., up better than a penny and a half. Aluminum pushed higher all day, ultimately adding 3¼ cents, to $0.719/lb., while lead shot straight up to its intraday high of $0.5398/lb., up 4 cents.

Copper led the industrial metals higher, soaring to a one-month high past the $1.50 mark as the new year buying momentum gathered some steam as economic stimulus optimism prevailed alongside the annual portfolio rebalancing by index funds.

“Metals could do somewhat better over the course of the week,” wrote Edward

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San Antonio, Texas-based Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is the largest independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products in the U.S., with 3.1 million barrels per day in refining capacity in its 16 refineries located throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.Our continued favorable view for Valero shares reflects the company's strong financial health, balanced refining portfolio and leverage to the still-wide crude quality spreads. We believe that these attributes position Valero to navigate the current cyclical downturn much better than many of its independent refining peers.Shares of independent refiners, Valero included, have been under pressure since the second half of last year due to continued margins pressures. While we are cognizant of these headwinds, we cannot close our eyes to the underlying strength of the U.S. refining scene. We believe that the upside potential far outweighs the downside risks from current levels....

he base metals were all in the green on Thursday. Copper was higher from the late pre-dawn hours straight through the day, only just coming off its intraday high late to finish at $1.4955/lb., up 2 cents.

Nickel was strongly higher until late morning, then leveled off and cruised to a close just off the $5 mark at $4.9222/lb., up 68 cents. Zinc had some sharp ups and downs but ended up less than a tenth of a cent, at $0.4928/lb. Aluminum pushed to its intraday high of $0.6919/lb., up nearly 3 cents, while lead tacked on nearly 2¼ cents, to $0.4655/lb.

Copper logged a second consecutive day of gains as the combination of a sinking dollar and rising oil made all metals a more appealing investment.

With that combination, “we’re seeing some money move back into commodities,” said Brian Hicks, of U.S. Global Investors in San Antonio. “We’re seeing people

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We are maintaining our Buy recommendation, but lowering our estimates and price objective for San Antonio-based Tesoro Corporation (TSO) -- an independent refiner and marketer of refined petroleum products in the western U.S. -- to reflect the still-challenging refining margin environment.

Our new 2009 EPS estimate is $1.27, down from $2.30 before, while our 2008 estimate remains unchanged. Despite the near-term challenges, our long-term view of the business remains favorable as we believe that the company is in a good position with a strong balance sheet, and has the ability to fund capex [capital expenditures] with operating cash flows.

On October 29, Tesoro reported robust third-quarter 2008 recurring earnings of $1.63 per diluted share, compared to $0.40 per diluted share in the year-earlier quarter. The quarterly results were an improvement over the last few quarters, as refining margins improved on the back of a sharp pullback in oil prices.

Despite some recent

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Hedge Funds in TexasHedge Fund Managers Based in TexasA helpful member of the Hedge Fund Group (HFG) just emailed me this list of hedge fund managers based in Texas. This will be added to the Texas Hedge Fund Guide.Hedge Funds in Texas: Andrews Capital ManagementHighland Capital Management, L.P.Macquarie Energy CapitalKenmont Investments Mngmt, L.P.HBK Capital ManagementPerot InvestmentsGreen Oaks Capital Management, L.P.Clear Creek Capital, L.L.C.- RichardSubscribe To this Blog via Email | Or RSSArticles related to Hedge Fund Managers in Texas: Texas Hedge Fund GuideNew ...

Energtek, Inc. is a leader in the development and commercialization of Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) technology. They develop technologies that deliver natural gas from any natural gas source to consumers even when no gas pipeline and compressing infrastructure is in place. Trading on NASDAQ’s OTCBB, Energtek Inc. (EGTK) has their corporate headquarters in Valley Stream, New York. Founded in 1998, Energtek operates in the United States, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Energtek utilizes proprietary, low-pressure storage technology to provide this “well-to-wheel pipeless natural gas supply” solution. They provide these solutions for fleets of small vehicles and industrial consumers. Adsorbed Natural Gas (ANG) technology enables hi-tech and cost-effective storage of Natural Gas (NG) by maximizing the quantities of gas stored in a tank. Adsorption lessens the infrastructure, fueling, and energy costs when it comes to supplying consumers where there are no gas pipeline feeds or refueling infrastructure in place.

Adsorption

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ICON Plc (ICLR) made several key acquisitions and partnerships this year and continues to expand globally. The company also just announced great second-quarter results for its fourth earnings surprise in as many quarters.

Company Description

ICON Plc. provides outsource services for pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The company specializes in development, management, and analysis of programs supporting clinical trials. ICON helps its clients cut costs in research and development of new drugs and medical devices. The company is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland and currently has over 6500 employees in offices across Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Another Strong Quarter

On July 22nd ICON announced second-quarter results that included earnings per share, before the stock split, of 62 cents, up from 45 cents in the second quarter last year. Analysts expected 59 cents per share, resulting in the fourth earnings surprise in the

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Uranium Energy Corp (AMEX: UEC) is a U.S.-based resource company with the objective of becoming a near-term ISR uranium producer in the United States. The company’s management team is comprised of pre-eminent uranium mining and exploration professionals, whose collective experience in the uranium mining industry supports Uranium Energy Corp’s uranium mine development expertise.

Harry Anthony, the chief operating officer and director of Uranium Energy Corp., is an internationally recognized expert in the uranium industry and has been a professional engineer for more than 36 years. Prior to joining Uranium Energy Corp., Mr. Anthony served 20 years as a senior officer and director of Uranium Resources Inc, a publicly traded U.S.-based uranium-producing company. In addition to being a renowned speaker on uranium and related issues, Mr. Anthony has also written reference papers for internationally recognized organizations, including the IAEA. Mr. Anthony earned his BSc and MSc degrees in engineering mechanics from Pennsylvania

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