Institutional investors will still be buyers of equities as the market pulls back. There’s just no other way to earn a decent return on investment that beats the rate of inflation. Any consolidation or correction in stock prices would certainly be a positive development for the long-run health…
There is virtual glee in the resource sector these days. Precious metal prices are trading near records. Oil prices are going up. The only commodity that’s holding back what might be argued as the entire resource sector is natural gas. That means it’s a good time to start…
Long-time subscribers know my fondness for stock price charts in determining future trends. I believe, most of the time, that the price of stocks are a leading indicator of what lies ahead, especially for individual stock sectors. Months before the turmoil in Egypt erupted, the price of oil…
The reputation, if it could be called so, of oils sands has been more about exorbitant costs and a dirty carbon footprint than about being a vast source of fossil fuel and associated profits. It seems that researchers have found a way to resurrect oil sands and, by…
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The high price of oil and gasoline is clearly making consumers drive less often. According to a weekly survey by MasterCard Incorporated (NYSE/MA), the demand for gasoline in the U.S. Has declined for 13 straight weeks, including a 3.3% decline in the latest week. The movement of gasoline…
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With the price of oil and natural gas so high these days, more and more homeowners are looking for alternative ways to heat and cool their homes. Residents in the Northeast have particularly felt the pain of high oil prices, because a lot of homes still heat with…
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The demand for small and fuel-efficient cars have been trending higher in concert with the surging oil prices, which recently traded at just over $135.00 per barrel on May 22. Oil prices are impacting the way consumers think about spending. With the average price of gas at $3.93…
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With the high price of both oil and natural gas, it's pretty clear that a lot of people are looking for alternatives, not just for transportation but also for home heating. Even the price of firewood is going up because home heating oil (diesel fuel) is so expensive…
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Oil is one hot commodity these days, as I've said in previous commentaries. The trend is bullish and continues to trend higher in spite of overbought conditions. Once a strong trend is in place, it is difficult to trade against it. Dow Theory states that a trend stays…
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When Ralph Klein took over the helm in Alberta, the province was neck-deep in debt, exhausted by the national energy program, plagued by low energy prices, and in need of some surgical and unpleasant cuts. So, former premier Klein did what he had to do -- cut spending…
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I believe that the recent turmoil in the global financial markets is only a preview of what might happen if and when the credit and real estate market bubbles burst. As was the case with the rest of the world, Canada's stock markets tumbled more than anyone would…
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I wrote before in my column about how Alberta's oil sands -- while potentially the second-largest source of fossil fuel in the world -- unfortunately comes with a pretty steep price. Oil sands are a thick molasses of sand, rock, and oil mixed together into raw bitumen. For…
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Oil prices rebounded with the basis April 2007 light sweet crude oil futures contract on the NYMEX, breaking over the $62 mark on February 27, 2007. However, it fell just below the key $60 level on March 5, 2007. In Asian trading on Wednesday morning, oil edged back…
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Canadians living in the Province of Ontario have had a rather annoying situation to deal with recently, as they have had to experience a gasoline supply shock. The shortage was due to a fire that occurred at one of Imperial Oil's refineries last week, which caused a gas…
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The steady decline in oil prices to below $60 a barrel has given some lift to the airline industry. The Amex Airline Index surged over 3% on September 12, but there remains some concern relating to softening air travel, especially after the foiled airline terrorist attempts in London.…
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If you are looking for some positive cues from the market, forget it, they are not there at this time. The DWO gave up 396 points or close to 4% after recording three straight days of triple-digit declines to end last week. Investors are extremely nervous as indicated…
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When oil prices fell below technical support at $70, investors decided to pump the market higher thinking that maybe oil prices were heading lower. But, my contention is the positive trend remains intact. The June light sweet crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange surged over $72 a…
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First and foremost, we buy a stock because we want to make money. And how do we make money on a stock? For traditional investors there are two ways. First, we can make money from the dividend the stock pays. Secondly, the stock can rise in price and…
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Yesterday I wrote about takeover frenzy in the mining sector. But, after Shell Canada announced its acquisition of Blackrock Ventures Inc., the same brush fire is obviously going through the oil and gas sector as well. Unlike the mining sector, however, the frenzy is not only sparked by…
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After a recent relapse to the $71 level, oil prices are rebounding with the June light sweet crude on the NYMEX trading at near $75 a barrel. Increased tensions in Iran concerning the development of its nuclear program and the country's refusal to co-operate have market watchers thinking…
