I’m going to run through a few seemingly unrelated facts here fairly quickly, but the message is: the North American energy market is so opaque right now—because fundamentals are changing so fast—that my #1 2015 credo—SMALL POSITIONS—still holds true.  And be prepared to change your mind in a hurry. This...
The volatility in oil over the last two weeks has been gut wrenching. But an OPEC deal to limit oil production was reached.  The Saudis and the Iranians have always been the stumbling block for such a deal. Why did the Saudis cave now?  I would give two reasons: Last month they...
This is the worst time of year for world oil prices to hit a five year low for North American energy producers. That’s because they typically evaluate their reserves at fiscal year-end—and that usually matches the calendar year.  That means reserve evaluations are done with the current price "deck" looking...
Flying into Erbil is deceiving. This capital city of semi-autonomous Kurdistan province in Iraq has a modern but very small airport-not what you would expect, by western standards, for a capital city of nearly 1 million people. And the flat rocky desert surrounding the airport makes you think you...
Second quarter income for SM Energy Co. (SM:NYSE) was up significantly compared to both the same period in 2010 and the first three months of this year.
by Jen Alic Welcome to East Africa—home of a potential 28 billion barrels of recoverable oil, 440 trillion cubic feet of gas and 14 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. Recent success by Africa Oil (AOI-TSX; AQIFF-PINK)—the stock went from $2-$11 in just two months in the spring of 2012 on...
Noble Energy Inc. (NBL:NYSE) recently announced that it earned $294 million in second-quarter profits, which worked out to $1.61 per share.
International oil plays have produced some big wins in the junior energy markets in 2012. This year alone, companies like Mart Resources (MMT-TSXv) and Africa Oil (AOI-TSX) were huge wins for risk-tolerant investors (Africa Oil—a 10-bagger). I’m trying to stretch my political risk comfort zone by flying into Kurdistan—in northeast...