By Martin Hutchinson Contributing Editor Russian president Vladmir Putin's United Russia party won 64% of the vote in Sunday's elections, while Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez lost his constitutional referendum in by a slim 2% margin the same day. That's a split result for the wannabe dictators, but it looks like a net win for investors. […]
Category
Oil
Eight Ways to Profit if OPEC Dumps the Dollar
By Keith Fitz-Gerald Contributing Editor Last Sunday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dropped a bombshell in Riyadh. And while it wasn't a nuclear one, it might as well have been. He stated on the record at a rare gathering of the heads of the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC) cartel that OPEC members have expressed […]
'Axis of Unity' Provides Dollar Dissent at OPEC Summit
By Jason Simpkins Associate Editor Iran and Venezuela reignited debate over the U.S. dollar at an OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) summit in Riyadh over the weekend. President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nehjad, joined forces at the two-day conference to take potshots at the United States over its emasculated dollar. […]
Where Should We Invade to Bring Down Oil Prices?
By Martin Hutchinson Contributing Editor According to Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, whose economic acuity is legendary in quality, if the United States invades Iran we can expect crude oil to soar to $200 a barrel. Clearly this would be undesirable. However, it raises an obvious question: There must be a country we can invade that […]
Oil Prices Slide on Demand and OPEC Considerations
By Jason Simpkins Associate Editor Crude oil prices settled $1.70 or 1.75% lower yesterday (Monday) after retreating more than $2.00 in early morning trading. The decline was driven, in part, by the Organization of Oil Producing Countries (OPEC), which gave several indications it would increase output to help combat soaring energy prices. Analysts also believe […]
Analysts See Oil Breaking $100; Energy Watchdog Sees Costs Much Higher
By Jason Simpkins Associate Editor Oil continued its march towards a $100 a barrel yesterday (Wednesday), briefly topping $98 a barrel, before receding. Evidence of tightening supply has caused oil prices to climb 8% in the past two weeks, while a weak dollar, political conflict, and increased demand from emerging markets caused oil to soar […]
GM Misses And Oil Hisses Toward $100
By Keith Fitz-Gerald Contributing Editor In early morning trading yesterday (Wednesday), the market appears to be upset by the twin assaults of a staggering $1.6 billion loss posted by No. 1 U.S. carmaker General Motors Corp. (GM) and crude-oil prices, which are [still] rising toward that psychologically intimidating $100 a barrel price level. Stocks went […]
Oil Prices Hit New Record at $97 a Barrel as the Dollar Weakens and Commodities Continue to Soar
By William Patalon III Managing Editor A drop in inventories and continued weakness in the U.S. greenback sent crude oil prices rocketing to an all-time high of $97 early today (Tuesday), a jump of more than 3%. In early afternoon trading, crude oil for December delivery was still trading at $96.70 a barrel on the […]
Three Ways to Profit From High Gasoline Prices
By Keith Fitz-Gerald Contributing Editor Most investors assume that higher oil prices are bad for the markets. I disagree. Sure, as consumers, we're all feeling the pinch from spiraling oil-and-gasoline prices. And I don't like feeling mugged when I fill up anymore than you do. But from an investment standpoint, I actually think higher oil […]
Crude Oil Bull Could Bring About a Global Bear
By Jason Simpkins Associate Editor Crude oil for December delivery rose to a record $96.24 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange yesterday (Thursday), making it a near-certainty that crude prices will smash through the psychologically important $100 a barrel level even sooner than analysts had feared. In a related story yesterday, oil industry […]