ConocoPhillips wants to duplicate the stock outperformance of Marathon Oil by spinning off its refining operations. It may succeed, but it's a short-term gimmick. Read More

Forget the Middle East. Investors looking for long-term oil and gas production growth should focus on Africa. Read More

If you're upset with the owner lockouts of players in both the NFL and NBA, join the club. Since the billionaire owners of sports teams always seem to win in these disputes, why not invest in some of them? You might as well make some money waiting for the games to begin. Read More

It's back to economics 101 as we analyze the global market for industrial commodities...Supply and demand. Read More

Dividend investing is about buying and holding solid companies with proven records of growing their payouts. Read More

In shale oil fields, the industry has learned that the early bird gets the worm. Read More

Natural gas drilling that employs hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is under intense scrutiny because of the risk of environmental pollution. Is the benefit of cheap energy and independence from foreign energy sources worth the cost? Read More

I’ve always liked pipeline stocks. I’ve been a particularly big fan the past couple of years. Now--with a bidding war heating up for one of the largest pipeline companies after a two-month-old stock market-wide selloff--I’m more bullish than ever. Read More

Releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve will provide a temporary respite from higher prices. But this move demonstrates how tight the supply-demand balance in the global oil market has become: Oil prices should hit their 2011 high by year-end. Read More

Reduced demand for Australian thermal coal from Japanese utilities caused a temporary price hiccup. But the long-term growth story for seaborne coal remains intact. Read More