Facing rampant inflation and a shortage of dollars, Venezuela's state-owned oil company, Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), is looking to sell its Citgo assets for $10 billion.
But the deal may be undervalued, and the PDVSA's financial problems may be the work of the Venezuelan government.
Each week our experts dish out the latest profit plays and asset-protection moves for our Money Morning Members - all for free.
Last week, we gave readers four smart picks in the healthcare sector, a natural gas tech company that has already gained 105% since our expert recommended it in February, and a methane producer/distributor that is poised to cash in on the upcoming propane shortage this winter.
Get these, plus more, in our best stocks to buy now list...
The ongoing civil war in eastern Ukraine, along with the corresponding crisis between Kiev and Moscow, means that Russian gas supplies to the EU could be cut off again come September.
In 2009, the last time Russia said nyet to European natural gas deliveries, the continent barely survived one of the coldest winters in years. This time around, Europe's savior could be U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports.
And that's good news indeed for these natural gas stocks...
Throughout the United States' current natural gas boom, Money Morning experts have been recommending liquefied natural gas (LNG) stocks to capitalize on the U.S. energy industry's growth.
And now Executive Editor Bill Patalon has found a new way to profit from the LNG industry, which continues to grow in demand and production.
See why these LNG stocks are a great way to play this sector...
It's absolute gospel in the world of investing to study and understand the moves that Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway are making - and then to follow them for profit.
And with good reason: Buffett's track record speaks for itself - and he augments his capital-markets genius with the homespun, down-to-earth personality that's cemented his spot as a hero to the masses.
One of Buffett's newest forays has taken his Berkshire investment vehicle into the energy sector.
But he wasn't the first to get there. We were. And it's paying off in a big way...
Over the past week, oil and gas stocks have been quite volatile. But that's not bad news - not by a long shot.
In fact, this is always the time when energy investors should be on the hunt for bargains.
And there's one approach that works especially well in this situation...
The Utica shale formation hasn't gotten as much attention as some of the others, but that may be about to change as drillers home in on a "sweet spot" in southeastern Ohio that is producing staggering amounts of natural gas.
Wells drilled in the Utica "sweet spot" were the main reason Ohio natural gas production more than doubled from 89.4 billion cubic feet in 2012 to 203 billion cubic feet in 2013.
This stunning development will pay off handsomely for these five natural gas stocks in particular...
The introduction of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has led to a production renaissance for U.S. oil and natural gas companies.
By 2015, the U.S. will surpass Russia and Saudi Arabia to become the world's biggest oil producer, according to the International Energy Agency. Just on Tuesday, a number of energy companies surpassed their 52-week share-price highs on the Standard & Poor's 500, including EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT), Hess Corp. (NYSE: HES), and Baker Hughes Inc. (NYSE: BHI).
And recently, Deutsche Bank placed "Buy" recommendations on several producers and master limited partnerships (MLPs), saying that the "fundamental outlook of U.S. gas demand is compelling."
Today, I'm flying back from Houston... again.
It seems I've been spending quite a bit of time in Texas these days - and for good reason. The rollout of our exciting 25-well oil and natural gas investing project is just one.
But another revolves around the tremendous changes in the industry itself, especially when it comes to natural gas.
In fact, I just presented the keynote address before the annual meeting of the Gas Compressor Association at the Moody Gardens Convention Center in Galveston.
It dealt with the inescapable and irresistible future of natural gas.
As much as the shale oil and gas boom is transforming the U.S. energy industry, production from one play in particular - the Marcellus in the eastern United States - is growing faster than expected.
And for five natural gas stocks that were early to the Marcellus party, that's going to spell bigger-than-expected profits.
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Powered by the shale gas boom, LNG exports will be one of best investment opportunities of the decade. Even the most conservative estimates project the U.S. as providing between 6% and 8% of all LNG exports worldwide by 2020. But first
Washington has to get out of the way...
As the rush to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) gathers steam, the Energy Advantage portfolio is primed for even bigger gains.
Make no mistake, LNG exports are now set to hand us one of the best investment opportunities of the decade.
That's a stunning reversal from just seven years ago, when everyone agreed the United States would be using LNG imports to meet 15% of its gas needs by 2020.
However, the unconventional shale boom (shale, tight, and coal bed methane) has changed everything we used to think about natural gas.
Now, even the most conservative Russian estimates acknowledge that the U.S. could be providing between 6% and 8% of all LNG exports worldwide by 2020.
In fact, Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSE: LNG) has already garnered no fewer than five huge, multi-billion dollar, 20-year contracts with some of the largest European and Asian importers.
But new developments have suddenly thrown up another hurdle that threatens to delay all of this economic promise.
Here's the countermove that's brewing in Washington, D.C…
Natural Gas Stocks 2014: As Russia's clash with Ukraine and the West boils on, pressure is mounting for the federal government to loosen export regulations on U.S. liquefied natural gas.
Currently, the U.S. exports natural gas to only a handful of countries, such as Canada. No U.S. LNG is exported to Europe.
That's mainly because the key factor in gaining the U.S. Department of Energy's blessing to export is whether or not the importing country has a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.
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The weather is taking a decidedly better turn here in London these past few days.
It's a good thing, because all of the talk currently in British circles is about the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.
These concerns involve the all-too-obvious geopolitical impacts of a Russian takeover of Crimea and perhaps a broader swath of Eastern Ukraine.
However, there is another matter that has a more immediate impact on Europe, especially if the temperatures start falling again.
You see, despite the Russian-controlled natural gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea to northern Germany (Nord Stream) and across Belarus to Poland, most of the Russian natural gas coming to the continent still passes across Ukraine - about 80% in fact.
And Europe is still reliant upon this energy flow despite attempts to diversify.
That means the longer the crisis between Russia and Ukraine remains unresolved, the higher the tension level among Europeans will be.
Here's what that means... Full Story
LNG stocks have gotten a bump up as Russia's clash with Ukraine boils on. The conflict may open the door to rejuvenated liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe.
Cheniere Energy Inc. (NYSE: LNG) - an LNG stock we've been bullish on for quite some time - closed up 3.88% to $51.17 per share Tuesday. It's up 18.67% so far in 2014. Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE) climbed 0.91% to $94.60, and 5.77% in 2014. Dominion Resources Inc. (NYSE: D) went up 1.02% to $69.29 per share, a 7.11% increase in 2014.
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