Oil
-
It's Time to Invest in Canada
This isn't the first time that I've written about Canada, a well-run country that has avoided many of the mistakes made by the United States. Its budget deficit is moderate, its balance-of-payments deficit is also small, its banking system is in pretty good shape and it faces very little inflation risk, since the country has maintained a reasonable monetary policy.
At this point, you might well be asking: Well, if you've said this all before, why does it bear repeating now?
The answer is simple: As I've hunted for attractive investments recently, I have noticed that a very high percentage of those companies are domiciled north of the border.
In short, it's time to invest in Canada.
To discover the profit opportunities available just north of the border, please read on...
-
BP Dives Into Brazil's Offshore Oil Industry With $7 Billion Deal
British oil giant BP PLC (NYSE: BP) has finally entered Brazil's vaunted deepwater oil market with a $7 billion purchase of Devon Energy Corporation (NYSE: DVN) assets. BP yesterday (Thursday) announced it would acquire some of Devon's interests in Brazil, Azerbaijan and the Gulf of Mexico. BP also agreed to sell Devon a 50% stake [...]
-
The Scramble for Africa: Profiting From World's Largest Cache of Commodities
In the quarter century stretching from the late-1880s to the First World War, there was a mad rush by the world's leading powers to occupy and annex African territory. Now, 100 years later, the world's elite again are scrambling to make their respective marks on the continent.
The methods of extraction have changed, but the end goal remains the same - to gain access to Africa's coveted bounty of commodities.
Most notably, Chinese interests have swarmed Africa, constructing roads, rail lines, municipal buildings, schools, ports, and pipelines in exchange for access to natural resources.
-
Six Ways to Profit as Brazil's Economy Takes Off
In many ways, Brazil offers some of the best prospects among emerging markets and deserves to be a core holding in any international portfolio.
Brazil's economy had only a shallow recession and is now recovering nicely. Its market has been one of the best performing since Dec. 31, 2008, and both inflation and the budget deficit remain under control.
Yet one can be only moderately bullish - and I'll explain why.
To find out how to profit from Brazil's bullish prospects, read on...
-
How to Profit from the Next Spike in Oil Prices
Earlier this week, British company Desire PLC (Pink Sheets: DSPMF) began drilling in an offshore block of the Falkland Islands. Immediately, Argentina President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner let loose with a howl of rage, and the Summit of Latin American and Caribbean Unity issued a protest against the British company's drilling operations.
Argentina's claim to the Falklands had remained dormant since the war 28 years ago, yet the moment the drill bit touched seabed the years rolled away. This showed yet again that oil remains salient to international politics and the world economy in a way shared by no other commodity. So how should investors play it?
For the best ways to profit from rising oil prices, read on...
-
Saudi Arabia Shifts its Focus to China as the United States Falls Out of Favor
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil producer, last year shipped more oil to China than it did the United States for the first time ever - a shift that highlights China's ascension to the ranks of the world's economic elite, as well as its position as the new focal point for the world's energy producers.
The flow of oil from Saudi Arabia to China rose to more than 1 million barrels per day (bpd) last year, just as demand in the United States fell below that level for the first time in more than two decades.
China in December alone imported a record-high 1.2 million bpd of Saudi oil, as its economy rode the momentum of Beijing's $585 billion (2 trillion yuan) stimulus package. U.S. imports of Saudi oil, on the other hand, fell to a 22-year low of 998,000 bpd in the first 11 months of 2009, as the world's largest oil consumer clawed its way back from its worst recession in 70 years.
-
Schlumberger's Acquisition of Smith the Latest Evidence of a Takeover Trend
With global energy demand expected to surge over the next decade, straining production, it's no surprise that many of the sector's biggest players are racing to acquire competitors whose expertise will help them thrive in a more competitive environment. And Schlumberger Ltd. (NYSE: SLB) on Sunday became the latest energy giant to bring a competitor [...]
-
How to Profit as Wall Street Insiders Push Oil Prices Skyward
Most forecasts are calling for oil to edge up slowly over the next year. Or, that's what Wall Street wants you to believe anyway.The big Wall Street firms control millions of barrels of oil and can direct their clients' money into oil. Which way do you think they want oil to go? Find out how Wall Street can manipulate oil prices... and the one move to make now to profit right alongside the "big boys."
-
Soaring Lumber Prices and Strong D.R. Horton Report May Not Signal an Immediate Rebound in Housing Stocks
Crude oil, gold, steel and commodity stocks have all taken it on the chin to varying degrees so far this year.
But not every commodity has suffered this same tough fate. In fact, there's even been a major standout. It's a commodity that most investors rarely think about.
I'm talking about lumber.
-
Ghana May Kill Exxon's $4 Billion Oil Deal
The government of Ghana may kill Exxon Mobile Corp.'s (NYSE: XOM) plans to buy a $4 billion stake in a giant offshore oil discovery from Kosmos Energy LLC. The move could help China expand its growing presence in the region through its state-owned oil company China National Offshore Oil Corp. (NYSE ADR: CEO).
Ghanaian Energy Minister Joe Oteng-Adjei sent a letter to Exxon last week informing the company that the government wouldn't approve the deal with Kosmos. The letter said the government is "unable to support an Exxon Mobil acquisition of Kosmos's Ghana assets," according to a copy reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The government said Dallas-based Kosmos had shared critical information about the field with potential buyers without its permission. Ghana also said Kosmos had left Ghana's state-run oil company, Ghana National Petroleum Corp. (GNPC) out of discussions held to determine how the field should be developed.
