Upcoming Conferences
 

View All

HAI
Unless otherwise indicated, the material below has not been prepared by Van Eck Associates Corporation or HardAssetsInvestor.com.
Neither assumes any liability for any content on a third party website or material prepared by a third party.
SECTOR - ENERGY
SEARCH IN RESULTS »

 
Oil Guesses Getting Better, Still Off
Pundits and oil analysts were collectively off the mark on this week's big number: crude inventories. Stocks, which had been projected to rise by some 100,000 barrels last week, instead tumbled 2 million barrels to stay below trend line averages.
Brad Zigler Wednesday, 02 July 2008
 
Up, Up And Away!
Up, up and awayWhy trying to untangle the oil prices enigma is such a murky endeavor.
  • Analysts waffling on oil
  • The bears' claims of supply
  • Declining exports

 

Julian Murdoch Monday, 30 June 2008
 
Oil Inventories Report Full Of Surprises

Industry guesstimates were universally off-base this week as the U.S. Energy Department's weekly inventory report played havoc with over/under parlays.

Brad Zigler Wednesday, 25 June 2008
 
Chinese Inflation
gasoline price signboardWe're all so focused on the bottomless pit of Chinese demand. But what happens if the pit starts filling up?
  • Fuel vs. transportation
  • The real Chinese economy
  • The aluminum connection
Julian Murdoch Monday, 23 June 2008
 
Oil Guesstimates Still Hit-And-Miss

This morning's U.S. Energy Department report on oil and fuel inventories left fewer pundits and analysts scratching their heads, at least about crude oil stocks and refinery usage. Forecasts for crude oil stocks and refining capacity utilization were dead-on this week. The other numbers? Eh, not so good.

Brad Zigler Wednesday, 18 June 2008
 
Time For Crack Spreads?

Time For Crack SpreadsManaging editor of HardAssetsInvestor.com
Brad Zigler demystifies the obscure trading
strategy.

  • The simple arithmetic
  • The ebb and flow of refining margins
  • Capacity utilization

 

Brad Zigler Tuesday, 17 June 2008
 
Oil Report Stumps Analysts
U.S. oil refineries are still sluggishly producing fuels, at least by industry analysts' expectations. In fact, refining activity seems to have actually slowed over the past two weeks. This morning's Energy Department oil inventories report indicated domestic refiners utilized only 88.6% of their productive capacity last week. Insiders had expected refining capacity to top 90%, a 0.3% increase over the previous week's rate.
Brad Zigler Wednesday, 11 June 2008
 
That Crazy Day In Oil

That Crazy Day In OilSure, everybody's writing about 6/6 like it's an economic 9/11, but there are a few links we don't quite get.

  • Seriously now, why?
  • The volume question
  • Where to now?
Julian Murdoch Monday, 09 June 2008
 
A Modest Proposal

A Modest ProposalForget probes by the CFTC; one group says the U.S. and Japanese governments should fight high oil prices by shorting the market.

  • The problem with 7% margins
  • The best use of the strategic petroleum preserve
  • The impact of a $200 million bet
Trim Tabs Investment Research Thursday, 05 June 2008
 
The Ever-Surprising Oil Market
There was yet another grab bag of surprises in this morning's oil inventory report from the U.S. Department of Energy. Crude oil stocks, which were expected to increase by 600,000 barrels, instead fell by 4.8 million, following last week's drop of 8.9 million barrels. Inventories are below seasonal averages.
Brad Zigler Wednesday, 04 June 2008
 
Inflation Contest: Crude 1-Gold 0
Yesterday's musings on oil prices and inflation (see "Don't Think And Drive") got me thinking (I know ... a seemingly rare circumstance). We've now slogged through the first five months of the year, a year that seemed to hold the promise of riches galore for oil and gold bulls alike.
Brad Zigler Tuesday, 03 June 2008
 
Don't Think And Drive
It takes a holiday weekend to bring home just how much profligate consumption costs. Refilling the gas tank of the family chariot was a sobering coda. Just over a weekend, pump prices nosed up a nickel.
Brad Zigler Monday, 02 June 2008
 
Dallas vs. Indonesia
Dallas vs. IndonesiaIndonesia is getting out of OPEC, but the Dallas Fed thinks things should be getting better.
  • Lusting after supply/demand charts
  • The unlikely price-decline scenarios
  • The Indonesian poster child

 

Julian Murdoch Monday, 02 June 2008
 
More Off-Base Oil Predictions
This week, insiders foresaw U.S. crude oil inventories declining 300,000 barrels from last week's ending level of 320.4 million barrels.
Brad Zigler Thursday, 29 May 2008
 
Peak Converts
The peak oil hypothesis is nothing new. But a high-profile convert puts a chill wind on the long-term prospects for the petroleum-based world economy.
  • A peak primer
  • New discoveries
  • The IEA report
Julian Murdoch Tuesday, 27 May 2008
 
Crude Oil Flips To Contango
As spot crude oil rushed past the $133 level yesterday, the oil market's term structure tipped into contango, ending a stint of backwardation stretching back to July 2007. Depending upon who you talk to, that either means the market's building in permanent expectations of higher-priced oil or it's a signal that the current price run-up has been overextended.
Brad Zigler Thursday, 22 May 2008
 
Enhanced Oil Returns
Pssst! Wanna make a few extra bucks off the oil market? Sure, you could have made handsome money being long crude oil this year. After all, NYMEX futures are up over 31% since the New Year's parties ended. The oil market's backwardation, though, offers a return kicker.
Brad Zigler Monday, 19 May 2008
 
Stubborn Oil
The headlines have been full of hype and hot air about the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, but does it even matter?
  • Oil's stubborn rise
  • SPR 101
  • The futility of trying to outplay the oil markets
Julian Murdoch Monday, 19 May 2008
 
Breakfast Index And Profit Margins
Things have piled up on my desk over the past couple of days. I guess that makes up for the lack of clutter on the airport baggage carousel. My bag has, once again, gone AWOL.
Brad Zigler Thursday, 15 May 2008
 
NYMEX: Speculators AREN’T Driving Oil Market
Democrats in the U.S. Senate are looking beyond a summer gasoline tax holiday to focus on broader oil market fundamentals. Yesterday, Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) unveiled the Consumer-First Energy Act, which calls for a revocation of tax breaks to big oil companies, a windfall profit tax and a cap on additions to the government's Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Brad Zigler Thursday, 08 May 2008
 
Page 1 of 6
Subscribe to Our Weekly Newsletter 

Commodities Data

July 03, 2008 08:18 PM EDT

Gold Monthly OHLC
  Loading data ...
View All Charts
 

Weekly Commodities Poll

Will broad commodities indexes trend upward or downward in the second half of 2008?
 

Seminal Papers »

 

Institutional Commodity Investors »