Political Stupidity
Source: David Galland, Casey Research  (6/19/08)
...Put more directly, the current reserves are a fantasy, and the ability of OPEC to actually raise production is greatly constrained... More >

U.S. Gas Prices May Rise on Asian Demand
Source: Bloomberg  (6/19/08)
We believe U.S. natural gas prices will likely remain in the $12.70-to-$13.20 per million British thermal units range, in line with international prices,'' Goldman's analysts, Samantha Dart and Jeffrey Currie, said in their report to Bloomberg today." However the observed tightness in the LNG market suggests that risks to our price forecasts remain skewed to the upside.'' More >

Solar Investing: Where Politics and Finance Come Together
Source: Charles Morand, Seeking Alpha  (6/19/08)
...One good example of policy-induced volatility is the infamous US Production Tax Credit [PTC] for renewable power. The volatile "on again-off again" nature of this policy, and the fact that the situation was allowed to endure for years, is the principal reason why a healthy wind turbine manufacturing sector never emerged in the US as it did in Europe...

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Spot Uranium Falls Again
Source: Mineweb.com  (6/18/08)
...RBC Capital Markets analysts believe that "the demand side of the uranium spot market continues to be the weak link, but buyers continue to exercise discretion and seem happy to buy at ever decreasing prices. Surprisingly, spot volumes are on track to reach the 30m pound mark for 2008 - a level not seen since 2006 - and may do most of that volume at falling prices..." More >

RBC Analyst: Lower Uranium Prices Could Turn Away Investors
Source: Seeking Alpha  (6/18/08)
Over at Canaccord Adams, analyst Scott Finlay said lower-than-expected prices in Q1 and Q2 have wreaked havoc on his U308 forecasts, forcing him to reduce price assumptions through 2011. Still, Mr. Finlay's new $69 price assumption for 2008 remains 16% higher than the current spot price and his 2009 forecast of $80 is 35% higher. More >

Reasons to Love 3-Digit Oil
Source: Marc Courtenay, Seeking Alpha  (6/18/08)
Outrageous energy prices will make us seek "green solutions" and help motivate us to be better stewards of the most beautiful planet in our solar system. It might also embolden us to force our elected officials to stop squabbling and start funding alternative sources of clean energy. More >

China Looks to Foreign Uranium to Meet Future Demand
Source: resourceinvestor.com  (6/17/08)
China is still standing firm by its statement that it will be able to meet its own domestic uranium demand until 2020, although some Chinese companies are scuttling to develop overseas uranium supplies as a result of the country's ambitious nuclear power development plan, released last year. More >

Coal Mine Expansions in U.S. Can't Match Global Shortfall
Source: Reuters  (6/17/08)
U.S. coal production has room to grow, but expansion is unlikely to meet surging world demand because miners fear a boom-bust cycle, key reserves are declining, and regulation has tightened. More >

Oil Hits $140: What Could Trigger a Reverse?
Source: Kathy Lien, Seeking Alpha  (6/16/08)
The only hope is for the US dollar to rise and rise quickly which is why the Bush Administration is no longer just paying lip service to the strong dollar policy. Instead they taking serious interest in making sure that the currency stops falling because they know that it is one of the few ways to stop oil prices from rising. More >

Commodities: Last Call?
Source: The Wall Street Journal  (6/14/08)
Over the past seven years, commodity prices have soared with the S&P GSCI Total Return Index rising nearly 300%. But starting this spring, with the huge exception of oil, many key prices have eased. More >

Something's Smelly: Gas Prices Should Soon Reverse
Source: Michael Filloon, Seeking Alpha  (6/13/08)
As a general rule, when gas goes up, refiners go up unless there is a major spike in oil prices. The refiners continued to sell off as traders got a second wind in the afternoon. This decoupling is beginning to show a last stand of gasoline bulls. More >

The Lessons Behind Oil
Source: Mineweb.com  (6/13/08)
Investors have been taking profits out of practically all sub-sectors of resources stocks, and rotating into commodity futures, principally the energy classes, viz., crude oil, natural gas, heating oil, and coal. More >

Nuclear Power Among Options for UN Greenhouse Cuts
Source: Reuters  (6/12/08)
Developing nations might get help to build nuclear power plants under proposals at 170-nation climate talks in Bonn for expanding a fast-growing U.N. scheme for curbing greenhouse gases. More >

Oil Replaces Gold as the New Inflation Hedge
Source: Michael Filloon, Seeking Alpha  (6/12/08)
No matter how you look at it, oil will be the center of attention and I believe this will be where the hot money will stay until next year. More >

Hot Commodities
Source: Fortune  (6/12/08)
Over the past five years the S&P 500 has had a total return of 59%. But over the same period, the diversified Dow Jones-AIG Commodity index has risen some 110%, and the S&P GSCI Commodity index, another broad measure, has jumped 141%. The price of gold has more than doubled, and crude oil and copper have soared more than fourfold. More >

China Plans More Nuclear Reactors
Source: Bloomberg  (6/11/08)
China's proven uranium reserves can cover demand until 2030 and it will need to import more uranium to satisfy long-term consumption, Chen Yuehui, deputy general manager of China National Nuclear Corp.'s overseas exploration unit, said in the text of a speech to be delivered at a conference today. More >

Energy Agency Reduces Forecast for Oil Demand
Source: The New York Times  (6/11/08)
But because of lagging investments in new sources of oil, the growth in consumption is still expected to outpace new supplies, according to the latest monthly report by the International Energy Agency, a policy adviser for industrial countries. More >

Energy, Metals Sector Funds Do Best in May
Source: TheStreet.com  (6/10/08)
As anyone who has bought gasoline might guess, the energy/natural resources sector easily outdistanced all other equity mutual fund categories in May. More >

Oil Price Likely to Hit $150 this Summer
Source: Mineweb.com  (6/10/08)
Goldman Sachs, the most active investment bank in energy markets and one of the first to point to triple-digit oil more than two years ago -- a once unthinkable level -- said last month oil could shoot up to $200 within the next two years as part of a "super spike." More >

But How Do You Hedge Against Commodities?
Source: Mineweb.com  (6/9/08)
In the final analysis, the best hedge against commodities is the action - or lack of it - taken by consumers. On the way up, consumers with the willingness and ability to have partaken in investment markets would have been hedging by riding the rising wave of crude oil-related investments: traditional equities, along with proliferating numbers of exchange traded funds and notes, futures, and indices. More >

67% Favor Building New Nuclear Plants
Source: newsmax.com  (6/7/08)
As a new summer and warm temperatures threaten to strain the nation’s aging electricity generation system, two-thirds of Americans (67%) said they support the construction of new nuclear power plants in the U.S., with nearly half (46%) who indicated strong support for new nuclear plants, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows. More >

IEA Calls for $45 Trillion Energy Revolution
Source: businessgreen.com  (6/6/08)
The International Energy Agency estimated that to reverse this growth trend and attain the 50 per cent reduction in carbon emissions recommended by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) the global economy will need to invest $ 45 trillion, or 1.1 per cent of average annual global GDP, in alternative energy technologies up to 2050. More >

Rejuvenation of Spot Price Predicted for 2H 2008
Source: Mineweb.com  (6/6/08)
In their Uranium Industry Report published Thursday, Haywood Securities forecasts primary uranium production at 113.5 million pounds this year, which is well below reactor demand as secondary uranium sources dwindle. More >

Coal Earnings Will Be Constrained by Cost Increases, as Regs Stall New Plants
Source: Mineweb.com  (6/5/08)
Constraints to developing new coal mines include high capital costs, the need for sales contracts covering a high portion of new tonnage, and a lengthy permitting process, according to Fitch. While some producers are announcing new projects, the analysts noted that "these have more than two years lead-time and may only replace declining production at existing mines." More >

Oil ETFs: What if the Dollar Strengthens
Source: Gary Gordon, Seeking Alpha  (6/5/08)
Enter a more stable U.S. dollar, or even a strengthening dollar. Now the only thing to keep egging the oil boom on in the near-term is the desire of speculators to make money on the long side. More >