Obama Has a Big Problem: Gas Prices

The biggest hurdle to President Obama's re-election is almost surely going to be the inevitable steady rise in gas prices over the summer. More from Daniel Dicker, Senior Contributor OPEC Can't Get Along, And That's GoodWall Street Blew It: The Real Tragedy of the FB IPODicker: Look Offshore for Real Value Real Money Previews Rally Runs Its Course How long can the rip-your-face-apart rally

U.S. Stocks Rise Over 2 Pct On Stimulus Hopes; Hot Stocks: TPX, CHK, MFRM, TUES, IRM, UNH, ACOM, MTN

U.S. stocks rallied, closing higher by over 2 percent, amid increasing hopes that central bankers will act to stimulate the struggling global economy. S&P 500 Index jumped 2.30 percent to finish at 1,315.13. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 2.37 percent to end at 12,414.79. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 2.40 percent to close at 2,844.72. The U.S. economy expanded at a moderate pace,

Endeavour International (END) Closes North Sea Alba Field Deal; Shares Soar

Endeavour International Corp. (NYSE: END) has raised its total working interest in the Alba oil field in the UK central North Sea to 25.68 percent, and its shares shot up as much as 81 percent on Thursday.The Houston, Texas-based oil and gas company announced it has acquired the additional 23.43 percent working interest in the Alba field from ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP), taking its total working

Oil Still Too Strong to Sell: Opinion

This oil market is acting far better than it should - far, far better. And for a lifelong trader of oil like me, that's about all one needs to be convinced that it's headed higher.More on XLE Natural Gas Will Dictate Oil Prices, Not Iranian Sanctions or OPECFixed Income ETFs Top Inflows Real Money Previews Rally Runs Its Course How long can the rip-your-face-apart rally continue to unfold?

Readers' Mailbox: Part One Covering GDX, SLV, CQP, APOL, EDMC, DECK, MSFT And BAC

The information in this article is iStock Analyst take on different stocks. It is not intended to be advice, recommendations or endorsements of any investment or investment vehicles. Investing involves risk and you should consult with a financial professional before investing any money.What's your take on GDX? Thanks, Bonnie.Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF's (GDX) chart doesn't look so good, not

Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) To Curtail Kentucky Mine Output, Says 'Uneconomic'

Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE:ANR) will cut back coal output from Kentucky mines, citing continued market pressures and new regulatory actions on coal-fired power plants.Abingdon, Virginia-based Alpha termed production from certain mines in northern and southern Kentucky business units "uneconomic" and the coal producer announced 150 job cuts in the affected sites.The company said the

Ferrellgas (FGP) 3Q Revenue Lags Estimates As Propane Sales Drop 11 Pct

Ferrellgas Partners L.P. (NYSE:FGP) reported a weaker-than-forecast quarterly revenue as warm temperatures had a negative impact on retail propane sales.The Overland Park, Kansas-based propane distributor earned $21.1 million or 26 cents per unit for the third quarter. In the year-ago quarter, FGP earned $3.4 million or 4 cents per unit, including a loss on extinguishment of debt of 14 cents a

El Paso Pipeline Partners (EPB) To Acquire Assets Worth $635M From General Partner

El Paso Pipeline Partners L.P. (NYSE:EPB) will be paying $635 million to acquire Cheyenne Plains Gas Pipeline Co LLC and additional interest in Colorado Interstate Gas LLC it does not already own from its general partner El Paso Corp. (NYSE:EP).The deal, which is expected to be completed alongside Kinder Morgan Inc.'s (NYSE: KMI) acquisition of El Paso Corp, will immediately add to El Paso

Morning Heating Oil Market Report

July heating oil prices traded lower in overnight action and fell to a fresh three session low in the process. Further declines in Brent crude oil and a risk-off environment in outside markets seemed to put added pressure on heating oil prices this morning.It is also possible that reports that China is planning to cut diesel prices this weekend by nearly 6.0% presents an added negative for the

Reader's Mailbox: iStock Answers Questions About FB, TTM, PG And GTE

Mike from NY, NY asks us about Facebook, Inc. (FB).It's a question on a lot of FB owners' minds. How many investors are going to defriend the stock? In case you don't know, Morgan Stanley cut their outlook on the company's revenue and earnings outlook prior to the IPO, drastically by one second-third hand account. From what we understand, Morgan Stanley only shared the info with large

Chesapeake Energy: Panic Sell-Off Creates Buying Opportunity

Shares of troubled oil and gas company Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE:CHK) have plummeted 38 percent in the last three months and 17 percent in the last one month on relentless attacks by the media, deserved and undeserved, for excessive compensation of its CEO and board, lack of transparency and complex financial structure.Chesapeake shares have lost 32 percent this year, compared with 12 percent

Oil's Toughest Question

This last week has seen an avalanche of articles, papers and opinion pieces attacking the idea that oil and gasoline prices are affected by speculation, in response to President Obama's recent plan to try and bolster the enforcement resources of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission against speculation. More on Opinion 7 Predictions for Ethical LeadershipGoogle Has the Platform Problem, Not

U.S. Stocks End Mixed Amid Growth Worries; Hot Stocks: CHK, DAL, DNDN, GRPN, AUXL, CRED, MTOX

U.S. stocks ended on a mixed note after a surprise decline in domestic factory orders and a weak Chinese data worsened fears of an economic slowdown amid lingering worries over Europe's debt crisis.S&P 500 Index inched 0.01 percent higher to finish at 1,278.17. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 0.14 percent to end at 12,101.39. The Nasdaq Composite Index lost 0.46 percent to close at

Alpha Natural Resources (ANR) Upgraded To 'Buy' By Brean Murray, $15 Target Price

Alpha Natural Resources Inc. (NYSE:ANR) shares were upgraded to "Buy" from "Hold" by Brean Murray, Carret & Co. (BMC), which believes there is more upside to owning the shares.The brokerage, which has a $15 target price, is of the view that the fundamentals and outlook of the company and the met coal market did not materially change over recent weeks. What did change is the stock price, BMC

Whiting Petroleum (WLL)'s Gas Plant Partnership Highlights Hidden Midstream Value: Analyst

Brean Murray, Carret & Co. (BMC) remains bullish on shares of Whiting Petroleum Corp. (NYSE:WLL) despite the recent pullback in the energy sector, and the brokerage foresees upcoming catalysts in continued crude oil production growth from the Pronghorn field in the Williston Basin."De-risking of the company's Permian Basin properties and overlooked value in the company's midstream assets make us

Enbridge (ENB) PT Lifted To $46 By CIBC After Eastern Access Projects, 'Sector Outperformer' Maintained

CIBC World Markets Inc. analyst Paul Lechem increased his price target on shares of Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB) to $46 from $44, while maintaining his "Sector Outperformer" rating.Enbridge announced that it has secured commercial support to proceed with $2.6 billion of Eastern Access projects, including: $2.2 billion in mainline expansions from Flanagan IL to Sarnia ON, $0.2 billion Toledo Pipeline

Deutsche Bank Starts Forum Energy Technologies (FET) At 'Buy', $30 PT

Deutsche Bank analyst Mike Urban initiated coverage of Forum Energy Technologies Inc. (NYSE:FET), an oilfield products company, with a "Buy" rating and $30 price target.Urban said FET fills a significant void in the oil service space by offering investors a high quality SMID cap name with leverage to some of the strongest secular growth themes in the industry and one of the highest quality

High Oil Prices Taking Toll on Refiners

No better proof of the speculatively driven oil market could possibly be seen than in the rash of refinery shutdowns and outright bankruptcies that have taken place in the last two years, the last being Tuesday's reported bankruptcy of Swiss-based Petroplus, Europe's biggest independent refiner. More on COP Natural Gas Will Dictate Oil Prices, Not Iranian Sanctions or OPECCramer's 'Mad Money'

Mid-Session Energy Market Report

The crude oil complex traded in negative territory throughout the morning hours, pressured by uncertainty surrounding the European debt situation and ideas that crude oil supplies could be running ahead of demand. Into the early morning low, July crude oil prices were off more than $5.00 from yesterday's high of $87.00.Some traders also suggested that there was a level of concern in the market