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The oil industry has been on a hot streak this year, thanks to a series of major discoveries that have rekindled a sense of excitement across the petroleum sector, despite falling prices and a tough economy.
Just this month, BP said that it found a giant deepwater field that might turn out to be the biggest oil discovery ever in the Gulf of Mexico, while Anadarko announced a large find in an "exciting and highly prospective" region off Sierra Leone.
It is normal for companies to discover billions of barrels of new oil every year, but this year's pace is unusually brisk. New oil discoveries have totaled about 10 billion barrels in the first half of the year, according to IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. If discoveries continue at that pace through year-end, they are likely to reach the highest level since 2000.
Just this month, BP said that it found a giant deepwater field that might turn out to be the biggest oil discovery ever in the Gulf of Mexico, while Anadarko announced a large find in an "exciting and highly prospective" region off Sierra Leone.
It is normal for companies to discover billions of barrels of new oil every year, but this year's pace is unusually brisk. New oil discoveries have totaled about 10 billion barrels in the first half of the year, according to IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates. If discoveries continue at that pace through year-end, they are likely to reach the highest level since 2000.
- New York Times
The Fed created two trillion dollars of assets and debts to rescue banks from their stupidity and mistakes. American taxpayers, to whom the Fed is beholden, have no idea how the money was spent and who it went to. The Fed's answer is that US citizens have no right to question or audit the Fed. The Fed has resisted all requests for an accounting or an audit.
Under the Freedom of Information Act, Bloomberg filled suit to force the Fed to reveal what it has done. When the case went to court, the judge ruled that the Fed is obligated to release records of its lending on behalf of taxpayers. The Fed is now considering an appeal.
Russell Comment – On his second day in office, President Obama in a letter to ALL agencies wrote, "Transparency promotes accountability" because "information maintained by the federal government is a national asset. My administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government.
So why not audit these arrogant bustards at the Fed. What are they hiding? What are the "dangerous secrets"?
Under the Freedom of Information Act, Bloomberg filled suit to force the Fed to reveal what it has done. When the case went to court, the judge ruled that the Fed is obligated to release records of its lending on behalf of taxpayers. The Fed is now considering an appeal.
Russell Comment – On his second day in office, President Obama in a letter to ALL agencies wrote, "Transparency promotes accountability" because "information maintained by the federal government is a national asset. My administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government.
So why not audit these arrogant bustards at the Fed. What are they hiding? What are the "dangerous secrets"?
- Richard Russell, Dow Theory Letters
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The Reckoning Is Here for Commercial Real Estate
By Tom Dyson Saturday, September 26, 2009 The Reckoning Is Here for Commercial Real Estate -
How to Retire With No Savings
By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud Friday, September 25, 2009 How to Retire With No Savings -
The Easiest Way to Tell If Gold Is in a Bubble
By Chris Weber Thursday, September 24, 2009 The Easiest Way to Tell If Gold Is in a Bubble -
How to Legally Smuggle Gold
By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud Wednesday, September 23, 2009 How to Legally Smuggle Gold -
How to Profit from Three Desperate Companies
By Tom Dyson Tuesday, September 22, 2009 How to Profit from Three Desperate Companies
The Hardest Trade Today
By Dr. Steve SjuggerudMonday, September 28, 2009
| I hate to say it, but this year has been "easy." The "hard trades" have fallen out of the sky and into my lap. When the bond market was at risk of imploding, True Wealth readers made the hard trade and got into risky bonds safely, trading a "junk bond" fund for a 52% profit. We bought stocks in March, when the market looked awful, and are up 40%. And this summer, when real estate was the "hard trade," we bought commercial real estate. We're up 37% and there's more to come. While everyone was panicking and looking out for the Next Great Depression, we've probably had the best year in the history of True Wealth. But now that everything is up, what is the "hard trade"? Sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint... Look, the stock market rose 50% in six months from its bottom in March. That was the best six-month rally in our lifetimes. What's the easy trade for everyone now? To sell! People LOVE to lock in small profits. But that's not how you make BIG money in your investments. The hard trade right now is this: DON'T SELL. The harder trade is to add new positions. In True Wealth, we're taking the harder trade... We're adding a speculation: biotech. If you catch just one biotech bull market, you may never have to work again... In the early 1990s, biotech stocks roared 1,347% (according to the Datastream Biotech Index). Every $100,000 invested turned into nearly $1.5 million. And since 1983, biotech stocks have launched into four separate triple-digit bull markets. The average bull market in biotech lasts about two and a half years... and the average gain is a stunning 565%. So you can see why we want to catch the next bull market in biotech. Even better for us, we're far overdue for a real biotech stock boom. The Nasdaq Biotech Index is still nearly 50% below its highs a decade ago. The great thing is, while stock prices have gone down, the innovation has continued... and so have sales. Biotech stock prices have stayed flat, but sales have been going up. So by definition, the price-to-sales ratio of biotech stocks has gone way down. We're seeing values today that we haven't seen since, well, the last 500%+ boom in biotech, from 1998 to 2000.
So as measured by price to sales, biotech stocks are a bargain... they're as cheap as they've been in over a decade. Also, in what boggles my mind, biotech stocks are completely ignored right now. I find this crazy. It's the exact opposite of a decade ago. Ten years ago, NOBODY wanted to hear about gold. I know that for a fact. And EVERYONE wanted the next great technology back then... Now, everyone wants gold... but who cares about biotech? Meanwhile, the major biotech index (the S&P Biotech Index) quietly broke above its February 2009 high to hit a new high for the year. Biotech is in a definite uptrend. The three criteria we look for in an investment are: 1) cheap, 2) hated or ignored, and 3) an uptrend. Biotech offers the rare combination of all three of those factors right now. It's time to make the hard trade and buy. Good investing, Steve |
Cresud (CRESY)... Argentine land
Apple (AAPL)... iPods and computers
Google (GOOG)... search engine
Starbucks (SBUX)... expensive coffee
Nordstrom (JWN)... expensive clothing
Coach (COH)... expensive handbags
Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY)... home furnishings
Macy's (M)... retail
Dillard's (DDS)... retail
Annaly Capital (NLY)... virtual bank
Hatteras Financial (HTS)... virtual bank
Capstead Mortgage (CMO)... virtual bank
Goldman Sachs (GS)... investment bank
CarMax (KMX)... used cars
3M (MMM)... manufacturing
Royal Caribbean (RCL)... cruise line
Rackspace Hosting (RAX)... website hosting
Visa (V)... as you can see from the rest of this list, money is a-flying!
U.S. dollar... again
The "VIX"... investors have short memories