Commodity prices have taken it on the chin lately. The CRB Index, for instance, has fallen 12 percent since mid June. The move has been attributed in large part to strength in the U.S. dollar and continued signs of economic weakness among the developing nations. While the U.S., Europe… Read More

Recommendation this issue: Energy Conversion Devices (ENER) Investors are starting to have their doubts about the economy’s direction. And with good reason. Most likely, the worst of the recession is likely behind us. But there’s every reason to believe that a resurgent economic climate isn’t just around the… Read More

Few investment advisors, or investors for that matter, think of gold as a stand-alone asset class. That’s a shame, because it means most investors missed out on spectacular gains during the last decade. As you can see from the graph below, the last 10 years have been one of… Read More

With the economic crisis diverting attention away from renewable energies, many solar and wind companies are no longer in investors’ sights. This trend won’t continue for very long, however. Oil has already doubled off its lows and is likely heading higher. As a result, consumers are again feeling the… Read More

We’re optimists by nature, preferring to see the upside that will eventually emerge from a bad situation rather than focusing on any grim news in the here and now. Perhaps the best example of this is the good we see that could come out of being on the down slope… Read More

Sad to say, the once mighty U.S. greenback is becoming a laughingstock on the world currency stage. Literally. By now you’ve no doubt heard that during Treasury Secretary Geithner’s recent trip to China, comments he made about the soundness of the dollar elicited laughter from members… Read More

We were a bit early in calling a bottom in natural gas prices late last January, but not far off the mark on the trough in natural gas stocks. Since then, ConocoPhilips (COP) and Gazprom (OGZPY) have staged strong moves. First let’s take look at… Read More

BP, the erstwhile British Petroleum, is out with its latest annual world energy review. Every summer we look forward to perusing the wealth of statistics they gather concerning global energy output and consumption, both for what they say about the state of the world and what… Read More