ThinkstockThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its weekly petroleum status report this morning. U.S. commercial crude inventories dropped by 2.8 million barrels last week, maintaining a total U.S. commercial crude inventory to 364.2…
ThinkstockYesterday afternoon, Hercules Offshore Inc. (NASDAQ: HERO) reported a problem at a natural gas well in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 55 miles offshore of Grand Isle, La. All 44…
ThinkstockIn a current research report, the oil field service and equipment analysts at Jefferies maintain that investors should be overweight the sector. Demand prospects are solid globally. While demand in the United States has…
ThinkstockThe Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) earned $982 billion in net oil export revenues in 2012 according to the latest report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The total is given in nominal…
ThinkstockBy now, anyone paying any attention to gasoline prices has run into the term “blend wall,” which is the point at which mandated ethanol production matches or exceeds ethanol demand. Because gasoline marketers must…
ThinkstockPeabody Energy Corp. (NYSE: BTU) reported second-quarter 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The coal miner posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.33 on revenues of $1.73 billion. In the same…
ThinkstockFreeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. (NYSE: FCX) reported second-quarter 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The mining company reported diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.49 on revenues of $4.29 billion. In the…
ThinkstockValero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) reported second-quarter 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The oil refiner posted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.85 on revenues of $34.03 billion, compared with EPS of…
ThinkstockWhen Barron’s ran “Gold Is Regaining Its Glow” over the weekend, they probably made the weekend over every concerned and disheartened gold bug in the world. After all, how can central banks print up…
ThinkstockSunday’s New York Times story on the shenanigans played by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) at its aluminum warehouse in Detroit is nothing especially new. What is new is that the Times has…
ThinkstockFor investors with the view that we have seen the worst of the correction in commodity stocks for 2013, or will soon shortly, the research team at Oppenheimer believes increased exposure to the commodity-sensitive…
ThinkstockFor much of the past year and through the first quarter of 2013, the refinery sector was on fire. The top stocks in the sector were some of the top-performing stocks overall. The stocks…
ThinkstockHalliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) reported second-quarter 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The oil and gas services company posted adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.73 on revenues of $7.32 billion. In…
ThinkstockA federal judge in New Orleans has denied a motion by BP plc (NYSE: BP) to suspend payments to some claimants for damages suffered as a result of the 2010 disaster in the Gulf…
ThinkstockThe continuing U.S. drought over much of the western half of the country spread modestly in the past week, now covering about 46% of lower 48 states, up slightly from last week’s reading of…