Take the Powerball Winnings and Invest
If you were a lotto winner, where would you put your Powerball winnings?
Interest in “Going Green” Fuels Big Oil Attempts to Look Eco-friendly
With interest in alternative investing still relatively high, considering the current risk-averse climate, and the environment generating some concern, Big Oil continues to attempt to "greenwash" its image. This has been going on for quite some time (ever since BP — BP — transformed from British Petroleum to "Beyond Petroleum"), but it seems even more…
Solar Credit Crunch: Buy When There’s Blood on the Streets (Part 2)
Shopping for bargains in the solar sector? As we pointed out in Part 1, some selling may have been overdone, creating attractive entry points for solar investors. I wish I can sit here and write about why you should buy TrinaSolar (TSL – Last trade $41.77) after they surprised everyone with their recent earnings report. I…
Energy Efficiency: Learning from Japan
One of the puzzling things about today's energy climate is why the U.S. is so content to continue its course, allowing Big Oil to call the shots. As the only superpower in the world, and arguably the country with the brightest minds, we should be looking to the 21st Century for our energy needs, rather…
Solar Credit Crunch: Buy When There’s Blood on the Streets (Part 1)
It finally happened! On Friday the Fed cut its discount rate – what it charges banks for direct loans – by 0.5% to 5.75%, in an effort to increase liquidity in longer-term loans and bonds. But Bernanke-bashing is alive and well, and there is a choir of analysts saying that Bernanke has gone soft on…
Using Mushrooms to Make Biodiesel
The news in biofuels appears to be taking off. In my last post, I mentioned Jatropha, a plant that can produce an alternative fuel, and one in which BP (BP) is investing. Today's subject is using a fungus to make biodiesel. That's right. Wired reports on the latest in the push toward alternative fuel sources:…
From the Ken-n-n-n-tucky Coal Mines to the California Sun
With crude oil continuing to trade at stratospheric prices, conflicts in the Middle East not showing any signs of abatement, and fears of climate change spreading, the alternative energy boom presses on. While each segment of the industry has begun to carve out its respective niche in the marketplace, we are nevertheless reminded that the potential of…
Biofuels: Jatropha
Biofuel options abound, and one of the more interesting is jatropha. As the cost of oil continues to annoy people around the world, and hurricanes raise worries about a stable oil supply, science is exploring alternative means of energy. From electric cars to biofuels, the idea is to find a way to move energy production…
Little Things Matter
Photo:Antre, Creative Commons, Flickr My brother-in-law, Jeffrey Wells, is currently serving a 3-year prison term for wire fraud in a federal prison camp.
Let the Oil Rally Begin (Again)!
Is Big Oil ready for its end-of-summer rally? You bet! The stock market is a fickle market; always up and down. And individual stocks are the same way. Energy stocks are especially fickle. But as tropical storms appear to threaten the Texas Gulf Coast, it means that oil company stock is ready to rise. As…
What Will Happen to Big Oil When Electric Cars REALLY Hit the Market?
Photo:elaine a’s, Creative Commons, Flickr Will electric cars ever really replace gasoline powered cars?
WWGD: Will President Bush Veto a Bill that Cuts Tax Breaks for Big Oil?
Congress wants to take tax breaks away from Big Oil and give the money to alternative energy research. But President Bush may not let Congress fund alternative energy in such a way. He thinks Big Oil should continue to enjoy special status.
FSLR Earnings: Buy the Rumor, Sell the News
As an investor, are you more afraid of the fallout from credit spreads or are you more afraid of missing the market bottom? The battle between fear and greed on global stock markets has led to many casualties this week, including FirstSolar (FSLR – Last trade $104.54).
WFR and STP: A Winning Combination?
Photo:Lutor44, Creative Commons, Flickr The management of SunTech (STP – Last trade $39.48) has demonstrated great ability to negotiate long term polysilicon supply agreements. It has now become obvious that one of the company’s primary goals is to secure long term supply contracts. During the company’s 1Q07 conference call, the CEO said that the company expected…
YGE: Will Xinguang Dump Yingling?
Photo:urbangarden, Creative Commons, Flickr It's been almost two months since Yingling Energy (YGE – Last trade $17.07) had its IPO, and the stock has rallied nicely from an opening price of $10.80 to a high of $20.40 on July 12. The company is a vertically integrated photovoltaic product manufacturer based in China. It produces silicon,…
Big Oil Second Quarter Earnings: Exxon Mobil (XOM)
It finally happened. Despite a stock price that is through the roof (but dropping as of this writing), Exxon (XOM) is reporting that second qaurter earnings are down. Indeed, Big Oil companies like Exxon and Chevron (CVX) are finding all sorts of competition to reduce their oil exploration territory. And one of the big players…
Get Sound Advice or Pay the Consequences
The most money I have ever lost was back in the days of "irrational exuberance" when every dot com stock seemed destined for the moon. I took a couple "hot tips," I am embarrassed to say, and promptly lost a couple thousand dollars.
Policing the Voluntary Carbon Markets: The Sheriff is Near
Photo:Juhanson, Creative Commons, Flickr In a joint report issued last week by Ecosystem Marketplace and New Carbon Finance, an approximate total of 23.7 million tons, or US$91 million, of CO2 traded in the voluntary, non-Kyoto supported carbon markets in 2006. While this pales in comparison to the 1.1 billion tons of CO2, or US$24.4 billion, traded on…
Top 20 Sustainable Companies Announced
Photo:kalebdf, Creative Commons, Flickr Ethical investing is becoming a popular mode of building a portfolio. And if you are looking to invest in sustainable companies with ethical environmental practices, the 2007 Sustainable Business 20 list could give you some ideas. A press release on CSRwire.com explains the purpose of the SB20 list: Our goal is…
FSLR Files Secondary Offering: Pullback Provides Great Entry Point
First Solar (FSLR – Last trade $111.64) on Thursday registered to sell 9.65 million shares, including 5.65 million shares to be sold by selling stockholders. FSLR traded down sharply on the news. We have suggested before that FSLR may go for a secondary offering, and today's sell-off on the news provides a great entry point…
SPWR Sinks After Q2 Earnings: Have Investors Forgotten to Read the Fine Print?
Earnings season is once again upon us, and the losses on subprime mortgages still continue to have a negative spill-over on the stock market. SunPower (SPWR – Last trade $68.71) reported ahead of the opening bell, and shares tanked. SPWR August option implied volatility moved up to 57 before the start of trade, above its 6-month average…
Big Oil Encourages Alternative Energy
In a seeming about-face by the oil industry, Big Oil is now encouraging the development of alternative energy. As Congress considers boosting clean tech through legislation, the National Petroleum Council is on hand to lobby FOR increased alternative energy. CNN Money reports on this extraordinary move by Big Oil: "The world is not running out…
Upcoming FSLR Earnings: Icarus Gets Burned by Barrons
Photo:kqedquest, Creative Commons, Flickr Have you been itching to buy FirstSolar (FSLR – Last trade $112.05), but nervous to get on board with the stock going hyperbolic? If yes, I have some great news. Barrons just did a front page story on how FSLR "may get singed". Given the stock's unbelievable run over recent weeks,…
Market Vectors Global Alternative Energy ETF
Photo:Taylor Dundee, Creative Commons, Flickr One of the trends in ethical and environmental investing right now includes alternative energy ETF investing. Not too long ago, I wrote about ETFs with regard to the PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy ETF (PBW). ETFs allow you to buy and sell funds on the stock market, much as you do…
Microfinance: Helping Yourself by Helping the Less Fortunate
Microfinance is the business of providing very small loans, or "microloans", to poor communities around the world in an effort to spur local entrepreneurship and community development. With most loans valued at less than $100, this is oftentimes all that is needed to jumpstart economic growth in impoverished areas. Given the World Bank estimates of 1.2 billion people…