Oil & Gas

A sensible story of causation regarding oil prices and stock prices made by countless economists is that "rising oil prices increase the cost of energy and therefore reduce corporate profits and consumers' spending power, thus putting drags on stock prices and the economy." Stunningly, as far as I can determine, however, no evidence supports that claim, as the discussion below will show.

There's a relationship between gold and oil that's worth understanding because each, being valued in U.S. dollars, putatively serves as a measure of inflation and, since both commodities have a common denominator, it's easy to price one against the other. Ergo, the gold/oil ratio i.e. the price of gold expressed in barrels of crude, and the current gold/oil ratio begs the question: "Is gold getting pricey or is oil too cheap?

For 1000s of years much of the Middle East has held some of the world’s greatest concentrations of wealth. To outsiders it’s one big desert. To the insiders, it’s the ultimate gold - black gold!

Investors often steer clear of investing in companies operating in the Alberta oil sands because of past infrastructure restraints— that is, until now. As such, we see the best of these companies having a great run for at least the next 12 months. Below we put forth 5 reasons why.

Unrest in the Middle East (and elsewhere throughout the world) has an economic impact and, specifically, on crude oil prices. Find out how the current state of Middle East affairs is affecting oil prices in this infographic.

When the idea of high oil prices comes to mind, one quickly recalls the hot months of 2008, when crude prices got to nearly $150 a barrel. How did we get back here so quickly and why are prices likely to stay put?

Fracking has had profound effects on the energy industry, so far mostly in the U.S., where it has created oil and gas booms in non-traditional places, moved the country closer to energy independence, and resulted in a huge reduction in the cost of energy, particularly natural gas. What is fracking? It's a technique used to extract oil and gas from previously inaccessible underground shale (rock) formations. Here are 5 more things about fracking.

The value of gold relative to oil (Brent Crude) is an embarrassing 11.2 to 1 ratio - way below its historical average - thanks to the manipulation by the Fed and member banks. When the price revalues higher it will do so SHARPLY and it will be PAINFUL for those on the wrong side of the trade or in worthless paper assets. Let me explain why that is the case.

Jim Rickards explains in his new book "The Death of Money - The Coming Collapse of the International Monetary System" why a US dollar collapse could be coming and why gold would probably emerge at the heart of a new global monetary system as the only money that you can really trust.

Investing in natural resources and precious metals is attractive today because the sector is so much cheaper than it was three years ago. Many of the stocks are trading at a 90 percent discount to their prices in 2011. For a contrarian investor, I believe that we are seeing a historic opportunity now.