The good news: After six years of systematically slashing debt and reducing operating risks, utilities continue to prove themselves better positioned to weather this downturn than any previous one since the 1960s. Read More

Revenue security and limited debt concerns: Those are the keys for companies to not only survive this apparently deepening recession but to stay positioned for the recovery ahead as well. Read More

In January 2002, I penned an article headlined “A Better Year.” Among other things, I forecast a strong recovery in energy utilities, which, like the rest of the market, had just come off a difficult 2001. Read More

How low will global growth go? Investor returns in 2009 depend heavily on the answer. Read More

There’s still a risk that bad economic news will send stocks lower and Treasuries higher. But the past couple weeks’ trading was nonetheless a welcome change from the previous action. And it appears confidence in at least some companies--namely those whose businesses remain strong in the face of current adversity--is building once again. Read More

Only three more trading days remain in 2008. This may be the understatement of the year, but odds are the market won’t make back its losses in that time. The benchmark S&P 500 is off more than 40 percent, and other markets around the world are down even more. Even the Dow Jones Utility Average is off more than 30 percent. Read More

We haven’t yet done away with those fear-driven selloffs that so typified the action this fall. But there are definitely signs that stability is returning. And that’s the first step for the stock market recovery that--if history is any guide--will be in full swing long before the worst news on employment is out. Read More

Politics are always a risk when it comes to major infrastructure projects. Not only is funding dependent on large entities like governments, which can change by any number of means. But a change in political control can literally wipe out investors. Your money is committed. But you can’t just pick up and move the asset. As a result, the safest infrastructure projects for investors are those located in the most politically reliable countries. And the sooner companies and individuals start to earn a return on their money, the better as well. Read More

Year’s end is usually a good time on Wall Street, as stocks typically enjoy a Santa Claus rally. That may yet happen, but for this week at least Scrooge, not Santa, is in control. Read More

Intermediate maturity bonds of first-rate utilities are a safe harbor against both credit risk and inflation. Now, thanks to extraordinary and fleeting conditions, we have a great opportunity to stock up on the best, including new Income Portfolio addition Dominion Resources 7.195 Percent Note of 09/15/14. Read More