For months, the signs of an impending global energy shakeup have been building.

This is not to say that we have an impending long-term shortage (it is not, in other words, a Peak Oil prophecy coming true) or that the lights are about to go out around the globe.

However, it does appear we are moving into another round of concerns for energy balance and production moving forward.

A combination of reasons exists for the accelerating crises.

Most of them are either the result of expanding energy requirements (a rise in aggregate demand) or the increase in baseline production and generation costs.

The first is playing out in regions typically unknown for their energy intensity. This is more the case outside the OECD countries (the most developed industrially). We should expect such a result, given the movement of new energy demand into these regions.

While the media attention centers on the U.S. and European markets, the other nations have driven global demand for some time. That means any spike in prices worldwide will have an impact on what it costs to obtain energy just about everywhere else.

As an investor, you should not focus on where the energy is produced. Remember, this is a globally integrated market, and prices will reflect that fact.

Still, it's the second trend that is causing the most significant problems moving forward.

And investors will have plenty of opportunities to profit as this problem accelerates.

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