Any business can crank out hefty profits when conditions are favorable. The true test is how well... Read More

Any business can crank out hefty profits when conditions are favorable. The true test is how well it performs when the operating climate cools. As a group, energy stocks underperformed during the... Read More

It’s one of the biggest deals in the oil business in years. The question, of course, is... Read More

It’s one of the biggest deals in the oil business in years. The question, of course, is whether shareholders will be happy with the end result.  The good news: now that the deal is... Read More

Believe it or not, but the first battery came about from the dissection of a frog. In 1780, Luigi... Read More

Believe it or not, but the first battery came about from the dissection of a frog. In 1780, Luigi Galvani was dissecting a frog affixed to a brass hook. When he touched the frog’s leg with his... Read More

Not so fast, Chevron. Last month, Chevron (NYSE: CVX) unveiled plans to acquire Anadarko Petroleum... Read More

Not so fast, Chevron. Last month, Chevron (NYSE: CVX) unveiled plans to acquire Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) for $33 billion in cash and stock. Anadarko execs signed on the dotted line, agreeing to... Read More

Last week, I wrote an extensive piece detailing why big oil is having one of its best periods on... Read More

Last week, I wrote an extensive piece detailing why big oil is having one of its best periods on record: Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) hauled in $6.4 billion in adjusted net income in the fourth quarter.... Read More

“A billion here, a billion there. Pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” I... Read More

“A billion here, a billion there. Pretty soon you’re talking about real money.” I was reminded of this line when evaluating fourth-quarter results in the energy sector. That’s... Read More

Recent market volatility has forced investors to seek safer investments for their portfolios. For... Read More

Recent market volatility has forced investors to seek safer investments for their portfolios. For many, stocks with a solid dividend-paying history with a low beta (β) offer a safer alternative to... Read More

We interrupt this regularly scheduled publication to bring you a breaking news bulletin.... Read More

We interrupt this regularly scheduled publication to bring you a breaking news bulletin. Originally, I had planned to discuss the ramifications of last week’s mid-term elections with my Daily... Read More

The price of oil has plunged into a bear market, falling for 10 consecutive sessions last week and... Read More

The price of oil has plunged into a bear market, falling for 10 consecutive sessions last week and settling more than 22% from its peak of $76.90 a barrel made just last month. —Recommended... Read More

Ten years ago, individual investors could throw money at any mutual fund or ETF with the words... Read More

Ten years ago, individual investors could throw money at any mutual fund or ETF with the words “commodity” or “hard asset” in its name and collect outsized returns. That was... Read More