U.S. President Barack Obama gave the long-suffering U.S. nuclear industry a solid boost this week when he announced $8 billion in government loan guarantees in support of a new nuclear power plant in Georgia.
The move is intended to reduce usage of fossil fuels and meet America's future energy needs. It could also provide new profit opportunities for energy-sector investors.
"I know it has long been assumed that those who champion the environment are opposed to nuclear power," President Obama said in remarks made during a speaking engagement in Lanham, Md. "But the fact is, even though we have not broken ground on a new nuclear power plant in 30 years, nuclear energy remains our largest source of fuel that produces no carbon emissions."
Energy
How to Profit From the Geothermal Energy Push
Geothermal energy isn't a new concept in the United States.
It's actually been around for some time, with numerous geothermal power plants in California, Nevada and a few other western states. There are new plants on the drawing board, too. Unfortunately, the recession has stifled the construction progress on many of them.
But all that's about to change. Thanks to a few key technological developments - and a big cash infusion from the government - the stars are aligning to produce the perfect storm for this super-green energy source.
It's actually been around for some time, with numerous geothermal power plants in California, Nevada and a few other western states. There are new plants on the drawing board, too. Unfortunately, the recession has stifled the construction progress on many of them.
But all that's about to change. Thanks to a few key technological developments - and a big cash infusion from the government - the stars are aligning to produce the perfect storm for this super-green energy source.
Profit From the First Biofuel Winner - Before it Goes Public
Weeds are hardly my favorite flora. My hay fever doesn't like them and neither does my lawn. But a flax called camelina - needing little nitrogen and water - may just be the first big winner in renewable biofuels.
It is going to provide investors with a whole new way to play the renewable energy market. And its impact will be, quite literally, up in the air.
Anybody who flies has been feeling the pinch of exploding ticket prices. Having jetted over a quarter of a million miles in the last 18 months, I can attest to the connection between rising fuel prices and ticket hikes. And without a major change in how we source jet fuel, this problem will simply get worse - especially with ridership slowly returning as the crisis bottoms out.
Jet fuel is already imported in greater volume, and the refineries that can provide it reliably worldwide are limited. That's because refining puts jet fuel (which is really high-level kerosene) among the so-called "middle distillates" - along with diesel and low-sulfur heating oil. But prioritizing the need for high-octane gasoline ("light distillates") has taken up more of the available refinery capacity.
They're producing less diesel and jet fuel than the market requires, pushing up the price.
And jet biofuel may be an answer.
It's hardly theoretical.
It is going to provide investors with a whole new way to play the renewable energy market. And its impact will be, quite literally, up in the air.
Anybody who flies has been feeling the pinch of exploding ticket prices. Having jetted over a quarter of a million miles in the last 18 months, I can attest to the connection between rising fuel prices and ticket hikes. And without a major change in how we source jet fuel, this problem will simply get worse - especially with ridership slowly returning as the crisis bottoms out.
Jet fuel is already imported in greater volume, and the refineries that can provide it reliably worldwide are limited. That's because refining puts jet fuel (which is really high-level kerosene) among the so-called "middle distillates" - along with diesel and low-sulfur heating oil. But prioritizing the need for high-octane gasoline ("light distillates") has taken up more of the available refinery capacity.
They're producing less diesel and jet fuel than the market requires, pushing up the price.
And jet biofuel may be an answer.
It's hardly theoretical.
Seven Ways to Profit From the Obama Administration's New "Clean Energy Economy" Push
After Wednesday night's State of the Union address, the Obama administration has added a new mantra to its lexicon.
Welcome to the "Clean Energy Economy."
In a speech in which embattled U.S. President Barack Obama badly needed to reinvent himself, the nation's chief executive focused on initiatives designed to add value to the U.S. economy and create jobs. Clean energy technology was front-and-center as one of those initiatives.
Welcome to the "Clean Energy Economy."
In a speech in which embattled U.S. President Barack Obama badly needed to reinvent himself, the nation's chief executive focused on initiatives designed to add value to the U.S. economy and create jobs. Clean energy technology was front-and-center as one of those initiatives.
Wall Street Scrambles its "Contango Convoy" to Capitalize on Higher Oil Demand
A 26-mile-long line of idled oil tankers, enough to blockade the English Channel, are firing up their engines and jockeying for position in a race to cash in on the bone-chilling deep-freeze plaguing the North America, Europe, and Asia.
The supertankers, each of which can hold over 2 million barrels of oil, are steaming "all ahead full" to deliver their stores of crude, heating oil and other distillates to the United States.
Their clients - which include several huge Wall Street investment firms - are eager to unwind what's become known as the oil storage trade.
The supertankers, each of which can hold over 2 million barrels of oil, are steaming "all ahead full" to deliver their stores of crude, heating oil and other distillates to the United States.
Their clients - which include several huge Wall Street investment firms - are eager to unwind what's become known as the oil storage trade.
Cold Snap Lighting a Fire Under Energy Complex and Agri-Commodities
A relentless surge of cold weather is slamming nearly every country in the Northern Hemisphere, disrupting travel, threatening crops and driving energy and commodity prices higher as investors look for ways to cash in.
In the United States, crude oil is trading near a 14-month high. Natural gas and heating oil prices have also surged, as the U.S. shivered under the onslaught of an arctic express that sent temperatures plummeting below zero across two-thirds of the country. Even Florida growers try to protect orange groves from overnight freezing temperatures.
The cold snap is one of the nation's most widespread since January 1985, according to meteorologists at Accuweather.com. While the cold is expected to ease slightly starting Thursday, this winter is on track to be one of the coldest in the past two decades, Ken Reeves, director of forecasting operations at Accuweather told The Wall Street Journal.
In the United States, crude oil is trading near a 14-month high. Natural gas and heating oil prices have also surged, as the U.S. shivered under the onslaught of an arctic express that sent temperatures plummeting below zero across two-thirds of the country. Even Florida growers try to protect orange groves from overnight freezing temperatures.
The cold snap is one of the nation's most widespread since January 1985, according to meteorologists at Accuweather.com. While the cold is expected to ease slightly starting Thursday, this winter is on track to be one of the coldest in the past two decades, Ken Reeves, director of forecasting operations at Accuweather told The Wall Street Journal.
The Real Story Behind Solar Energy in 2010
By the time 2009 is in the books, the record will show that solar energy stocks endured a tough year. That's hardly a surprise, given that so many Wall Street analysts (yours truly not among them) lambasted the sector for much of the year.
Analysts also expect the carnage to continue into 2010, and are predicting losses for as many as half of the world's solar companies.
The "thought process" of a Wall Street analyst - and I use that title loosely - goes something like this:
Analysts also expect the carnage to continue into 2010, and are predicting losses for as many as half of the world's solar companies.
The "thought process" of a Wall Street analyst - and I use that title loosely - goes something like this:
Special Report: How the Government is Setting Us Up for a Second Subprime Crisis
[Editor's Note: Shah Gilani, a retired hedge fund manager and noted expert on the global credit crisis, predicted this developing FHA debacle in a July 2008 Money Morning essay.] Is the government creating another subprime-mortgage bubble? The first time around, the three-headed federal serpent - the Bush administration, the Treasury Department and the U.S. Federal […]
The Slow Death of General Motors
By Martin Hutchinson Contributing Editor Money Morning U.S. President Barack Obama's firing of General Motors Corp. (GM) Chief Executive Officer G. Richard Wagoner Jr. may be the beginning of the final act of a long and sad drama - the slow death of GM. The company nameplate may soldier on in some form, but it […]