It remains to be seen whether the Utica Shale will live up to its promise and become one of the most profitable unconventional oil and gas plays in the US. However, a number of companies are willing to make that bet. Read More

Focus on the good news: Most of the growth-oriented stocks in the model Portfolios have discounted financial Armageddon and are poised for a significant upsurge as investors’ fears subside. Read More

First Solar's (NSDQ: FSLR) recent woes are endemic to an industry where expectations outran economic realities. Read More

Despite fears about a U.S. recession, a hard landing for China’s economy and the EU sovereign debt crisis escalating into a global credit crunch, the price of most oil varietals has remained stubbornly elevated. This resilience reflects tight supply-demand conditions in the global oil market. Click to enlarge… Read More

Crude oil prices remain elevated because of a tight supply-demand balance. Let’s look at the supply and demand sides of the equation. Some investors still ask me why oil prices remain high even though demand is weak. This question assumes that sluggish growth in the US and other developed economies… Read More

At these levels, oil prices suggest that the odds of a recession or credit crisis are rather low. Meanwhile, equities markets have discounted a substantial economic downturn. Both markets can’t be correct: Either stock prices are too pessimistic about economic conditions, or oil prices are too optimistic. Read More

A volatile stock market offers investors an opportunity to lock in favorable yields on this trust. Read More

Investors shouldn’t ignore the revolution that has occurred in Australia’s natural-gas industry over the past decade. Read More

High-yielding Canadian royalty trusts have been tremendous moneymakers over the years, though most converted to regular corporations because of an unfavorable change in the tax code. Despite the change in tax treatment, many the former Canadian trusts still offer high yields and significant growth potential. My colleague Roger Conrad covers… Read More