It’s that time of the year again…  Game-Changing Stocks editor Andy Obermueller has just released his annual “shocking predictions report” for 2015. If you aren’t familiar with Andy or his shocking predictions report, then you’re missing out on one of the most controversial (yet insightful) pieces of research that our company regularly publishes. #-ad_banner-#​As StreetAuthority’s resident expert in what he calls “the next big thing,” it’s Andy’s job to track down and find the market’s hottest growth opportunities — especially… Read More

It’s that time of the year again…  Game-Changing Stocks editor Andy Obermueller has just released his annual “shocking predictions report” for 2015. If you aren’t familiar with Andy or his shocking predictions report, then you’re missing out on one of the most controversial (yet insightful) pieces of research that our company regularly publishes. #-ad_banner-#​As StreetAuthority’s resident expert in what he calls “the next big thing,” it’s Andy’s job to track down and find the market’s hottest growth opportunities — especially ones that aren’t on most investors’ radars yet.  We’re talking about the kind of returns you’ve dreamed of since first learning of the stock market… Andy won’t even consider making a recommendation unless it offers “10-bagger” (i.e. 4-digit gain) potential. That’s why once a year Andy publishes his shocking predictions list. This report gives him the chance to showcase some of his unorthodox — yet most promising — growth opportunities for the coming 12 months. Over the years these predictions have proven convincingly accurate…… Read More

The year was 1975. Gerald Ford was president, and Wheel of Fortune had just premiered on NBC. It was also a time when four letters had come to dominate world energy headlines: OPEC.  The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was originally formed in 1960 by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela (nine other countries would later join). Its mission: to coordinate the policies of the oil-producing countries — essentially making it the world’s largest oil cartel. The emergence of OPEC had thrown markets and energy users into a panic — particularly in the United States, where growing… Read More

The year was 1975. Gerald Ford was president, and Wheel of Fortune had just premiered on NBC. It was also a time when four letters had come to dominate world energy headlines: OPEC.  The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was originally formed in 1960 by Iraq, Kuwait, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela (nine other countries would later join). Its mission: to coordinate the policies of the oil-producing countries — essentially making it the world’s largest oil cartel. The emergence of OPEC had thrown markets and energy users into a panic — particularly in the United States, where growing reliance on foreign oil made OPEC-related restrictions an especially frightening prospect. Regulators moved quickly to do everything they could to secure oil supplies, starting with the crude that was being produced in the U.S. One of the big results of these events was the U.S. crude export ban: a moratorium on shipping unprocessed oil overseas… we wanted to keep the precious commodity within our own borders. This became especially apparent in the 1986, when overall American crude output began to plummet. Over the next 20 years oil production sank by over 43% — a loss of about 1.4 billion barrels… Read More

It’s a basic economic principle that when all hell breaks loose in the world, investors rush to gold.  There’s a basic reason for this flight to safe assets: When you buy gold, you own an irreplaceable, finite resource that has been humanity’s universal medium of value for thousands of years.  #-ad_banner-#​I see headlines every day touting gold as a necessary part of any portfolio. Many of those headlines suggest the recent global turmoil in Europe and the Middle East could have a big upside effect on gold prices. Read More

It’s a basic economic principle that when all hell breaks loose in the world, investors rush to gold.  There’s a basic reason for this flight to safe assets: When you buy gold, you own an irreplaceable, finite resource that has been humanity’s universal medium of value for thousands of years.  #-ad_banner-#​I see headlines every day touting gold as a necessary part of any portfolio. Many of those headlines suggest the recent global turmoil in Europe and the Middle East could have a big upside effect on gold prices. But I am not here to tell you what everyone else is saying. I take pride in providing fundamental reasoning behind solid investment decisions — not just reactionary analysis. My goal is to recognize a trend as its beginning rather than reporting on the trend that you just missed. With that in mind, I’ve identified a ripe opportunity in the gold market that looks very attractive.  Amid escalation of global conflict and growing economic uncertainty — gold is cheaper than it was three years ago. … Read More

While the current market price for natural gas may fluctuate, the long-term picture is quite bullish. It remains a much cleaner alternative for power plants over coal. It’s also a lot safer option than nuclear. Over the next few years the United States will start exporting natural gas as a number of export facilities come online. There’s a great demand from overseas for liquefied natural gas (LNG), especially cheap gas produced by the U.S. fracking boom.  Yet natural gas prices have taken a beating in recent months,… Read More

While the current market price for natural gas may fluctuate, the long-term picture is quite bullish. It remains a much cleaner alternative for power plants over coal. It’s also a lot safer option than nuclear. Over the next few years the United States will start exporting natural gas as a number of export facilities come online. There’s a great demand from overseas for liquefied natural gas (LNG), especially cheap gas produced by the U.S. fracking boom.  Yet natural gas prices have taken a beating in recent months, sinking below $4 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) as demand has fallen off amid an unusually cool summer. Last month, my colleague David Sterman concluded that prices likely haven’t bottomed out yet — but they’re bound to eventually. That’s drawn the attention of a couple of high-profile billionaire investors, as I’ll explain momentarily. My three favorite companies to profit from the eventual rebound in natural gas prices are EQT Corp. (NYSE: EQT), Rice Energy (NYSE: RICE), and WPX Energy (NYSE: WPX). … Read More

In his groundbreaking 2006 book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” Michael Pollan devoted several chapters to exploring the vast role that corn has come to play in the agricultural economy and in our diets.  Virtually every processed food contains corn or a corn derivative such as corn syrup. Farmers, taking advantage of $0.50-a-bushel subsidies, have made it America’s largest cash crop. According to the EPA, farmers sold roughly $64 billion worth of corn in 2011 (the most recent data available). That’s roughly twice as much as all of the hay, wheat, cotton, sorghum and rice that is sold — combined.  So the… Read More

In his groundbreaking 2006 book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” Michael Pollan devoted several chapters to exploring the vast role that corn has come to play in the agricultural economy and in our diets.  Virtually every processed food contains corn or a corn derivative such as corn syrup. Farmers, taking advantage of $0.50-a-bushel subsidies, have made it America’s largest cash crop. According to the EPA, farmers sold roughly $64 billion worth of corn in 2011 (the most recent data available). That’s roughly twice as much as all of the hay, wheat, cotton, sorghum and rice that is sold — combined.  So the utter collapse in corn prices, thanks to overplanting and favorable weather, is leading to a sharp drop in farm incomes. Farmers that split their acreage between corn and soybeans, the nation’s second-largest cash crop, might at least have hoped for some pricing relief from that diversification. But soybeans are selling at two year lows as well. If you’re keeping score, wheat and cotton prices are also slumping badly.  Though the harvest season isn’t over, it appears that farm incomes will take a big hit in 2014 (though higher yields will offset some of the pain of lower prices). Farmers are… Read More

My personal portfolio is packed with mature sectors like energy, consumer staples and utilities for their higher income yield. Most of the industries within these sectors have fairly stable sales and cash flows and can afford to spin out tons of cash to shareholders.  #-ad_banner-#Share prices don’t shoot to the moon on surging growth, but they’re also not as prone to a sell-off when the market tumbles, either. It’s a slow ride to getting rich, but the constant cash flow is great. That is except for one industry in the group: coal. Despite being one of the cheapest… Read More

My personal portfolio is packed with mature sectors like energy, consumer staples and utilities for their higher income yield. Most of the industries within these sectors have fairly stable sales and cash flows and can afford to spin out tons of cash to shareholders.  #-ad_banner-#Share prices don’t shoot to the moon on surging growth, but they’re also not as prone to a sell-off when the market tumbles, either. It’s a slow ride to getting rich, but the constant cash flow is great. That is except for one industry in the group: coal. Despite being one of the cheapest sources of fuel, coal producers have fallen on hard times. So why am I increasing my position in a coal producer and looking for double-digit returns even if industry fundamentals remain weak? The past few years have not been good for coal. The Market Vectors Coal ETF (NYSE: KOL) is up just 6% in the past year and has lost a stunning 63% since its 2011 high. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to propose new guidelines that will reduce coal use as a percentage of total U.S. electricity production, and production in China has flooded the market with coal… Read More

There is little doubt that the energy revolution is one of the most powerful themes in investing today. The United States has surpassed Saudi Arabia as the world’s top producer and production is set to surge to 13.1 million barrels a day by 2019.  #-ad_banner-#While the whole country has benefited from lower oil imports, two regions are disproportionately benefiting from the increase in production.  There’s Texas, of course, with the Permian, Barnett and Eagle Ford formations — and industry infrastructure that dates back more than a century.  But the other region, the Williston Basin in North Dakota, might… Read More

There is little doubt that the energy revolution is one of the most powerful themes in investing today. The United States has surpassed Saudi Arabia as the world’s top producer and production is set to surge to 13.1 million barrels a day by 2019.  #-ad_banner-#While the whole country has benefited from lower oil imports, two regions are disproportionately benefiting from the increase in production.  There’s Texas, of course, with the Permian, Barnett and Eagle Ford formations — and industry infrastructure that dates back more than a century.  But the other region, the Williston Basin in North Dakota, might be even more attractive for investors. Until the past decade, the region had never been a significant producer, so the need for infrastructure was minimal.  The need for that infrastructure is changing faster than anyone imagined and could mean strong cash flows for several midstream giants in the area. A Troubling Trend The number of railcars shipping petroleum products has surged to more than 15,000 carloads a week, more than double the 7,000-carload average through 2010. Crude shipments by rail set a record of 110,000 carloads in the first quarter of this year.  While transportation by rail involves lower… Read More

In a world where the “experts” on the financial TV shows are willing to predict where the stock market will move in the next two hours, there is a great opportunity for patient investors to profit. While everyone else tries to frantically trade in and out of stocks, patient investors can invest in the best long-term opportunities… and relax. #-ad_banner-#My approach to investing is based on Warren Buffett’s famous dictum: Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Today I see an opportunity that I think fits the bill. That opportunity is in uranium producers. I… Read More

In a world where the “experts” on the financial TV shows are willing to predict where the stock market will move in the next two hours, there is a great opportunity for patient investors to profit. While everyone else tries to frantically trade in and out of stocks, patient investors can invest in the best long-term opportunities… and relax. #-ad_banner-#My approach to investing is based on Warren Buffett’s famous dictum: Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Today I see an opportunity that I think fits the bill. That opportunity is in uranium producers. I don’t have the faintest idea whether uranium stocks will be higher or lower in a month or even a year. I do however expect the stock prices of uranium producers to go much higher over the next decade. My thesis isn’t apparent from the sector’s recent performance: Uranium stocks are down 70% from the start of 2011 while the overall market is up 60%. Yet I would argue that the uranium sector has better long-term fundamentals than most companies in the overall market. I think investors are focusing on the sector’s short-term challenges and missing the big picture. Read More

It’s been a summer of open windows and dormant air conditioners in the eastern U.S. as the mercury has failed to break 85 degrees on most days. Nighttime lows are in the mid-50s across much of New England. #-ad_banner-#And that partially explains why natural gas prices are plunging to seven-month lows. Gas-fueled power plants are operating at a low hum as electricity demand has been unusually tepid. When you consider that late July typically represents a turning point for summer temperatures, this may turn out to be a year without any major heat waves. That’s good news indeed for residents… Read More

It’s been a summer of open windows and dormant air conditioners in the eastern U.S. as the mercury has failed to break 85 degrees on most days. Nighttime lows are in the mid-50s across much of New England. #-ad_banner-#And that partially explains why natural gas prices are plunging to seven-month lows. Gas-fueled power plants are operating at a low hum as electricity demand has been unusually tepid. When you consider that late July typically represents a turning point for summer temperatures, this may turn out to be a year without any major heat waves. That’s good news indeed for residents in the eastern U.S. after enduring an unusually dispiriting frigid winter. As demand for gas remains subpar, gas storage facilities are refilling at a rapid rate, turning gas back into a buyer’s market. That’s a quick change from six months ago when gas was being consumed at a faster-than-normal rate. And the resulting price collapse has left many to wonder: Will gas prices keep plunging, or have they hit bottom? The answer to that question: Gas prices are likely to keep falling. Tepid demand is likely to lead to more increases in the amount of gas in storage,… Read More

It’s not often you find Warren Buffett and T. Boone Pickens owning the same stock. #-ad_banner-#Buffett has long been known to be focused on financials and consumer product companies such as Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). But he also likes blue-chip chemical companies like Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW), for which he’s in a showdown with Dan Loeb. In contrast to Buffett’s diversified approach, Pickens made his fortune in the energy patch. Considered one of the top energy experts in the world, Pickens is regularly seen on CNBC and Bloomberg talking about his “Pickens plan” for energy independence. Read More

It’s not often you find Warren Buffett and T. Boone Pickens owning the same stock. #-ad_banner-#Buffett has long been known to be focused on financials and consumer product companies such as Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). But he also likes blue-chip chemical companies like Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW), for which he’s in a showdown with Dan Loeb. In contrast to Buffett’s diversified approach, Pickens made his fortune in the energy patch. Considered one of the top energy experts in the world, Pickens is regularly seen on CNBC and Bloomberg talking about his “Pickens plan” for energy independence. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-B) has the largest stake in this energy company, with 13 million shares, worth over $500 million. Pickens’ stake is worth about $160 million.  The company that has brought these investing legends together?  Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU). The world’s largest oil sands producer, Suncor also has conventional oil and gas operations in the North Sea, North America, Libya and Syria. It also has refinery operations and retail stations in Canada and Colorado, wind power projects and an ethanol plant in Canada, and an energy-trading operation. Its conventional reserves generate high levels of free cash flow, which… Read More