Oil refiners have had a very tough year. Since January, Marathon’s (NYSE:MRO) stock is off nearly 30%, Valero (NYSE:VLO) has plunged more than 50%, and Tesoro (NYSE:TSO) is off more than 60%.…
The SEC has proposed new rules that would permit oil and gas companies to report possible and probable reserves as well as proved reserves when completing their annual 10-K. According to the…
The new mantra creating a deflating speculative bubble is taking a new twist. Even before Ospraie blew out its fund (and now after) there have been more rumors about commodity-related funds or…
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 forced a halt to about 25% of US oil and natural gas production. Now Tropical Storm Gustav, which is predicted to gain hurricane status by the…
In the midst of the military and political fiasco in Georgia, it would be easy to believe that Russia could withdraw from a number of contracts it has with the West. It…
Conoco (COP) is selling its gas stations, following Exxon (XOM) out the exit door. Perhaps there is a greater fool; a company that thinks it can make money on a business that…
Even with oil prices well off of recent highs, these are still very much considered as above historical highs. The large integrated oil companies have experienced either declines or very small gains…
It’s no secret the oil refining margins have been dropping like a rock for the past few quarters. When pump prices began to approach a US-wide average of about $4/gallon, US drivers…
Americans drove 12.2 billion miles less in June than they did in the same month a year ago. That is a drop of almost 5%. The fall-off in activity is likely to…
Douglas A. McIntyre Corporations often start a business that becomes a famous brand, or buy companies that already have highly recognized brand names. Over time these brands often lose their earnings power. Corporations who find…
After Wal-Mart (WMT) announced its outstanding June numbers, Wall St. said the company was actually “recession proof”. Consumers, beat down by high gas and commodities prices, could turn to Wal-Mart to get…
According to Reuters, GM (GM) is expected to post a huge loss. Reuters reports that oil company profits rose, but Exxon (XOM) missed its numbers. Reuters reported that stressed banks borrowed a…
Exxon-Mobil (XOM) has proven once again that while the rest of the economy is in rags, big oil mints money. And, that is the way it should be. No one holding shares…
Douglas A. McIntyre This week has already been an interesting week in the oil patch, but for big oil stocks the expression "You ain’t seen nothin’ yet" is perhaps more appropriate than ever. On Thursday…
Every time the market thinks oil won’t go higher, it does. Today it hit $140. To be fair, OPEC president Chakib Khelil said oil could reach $150 to $170 this summer. At…
Douglas A. McIntyre 