MARKET CURRENTS
real-time news and commentary for investors
MARKET CURRENTS
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Today - Friday, May 24, 2013
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5:54 PM The U.S. State Department takes the unusual step of releasing publicly the feedback it received about the controversial Keystone XL pipeline (TRP) in response to its draft environmental report. Well represented in the first batch of ~1.2M total comments are green groups like Tar Sands Action and the Sierra Club as well as advocacy groups like Americans for Tax Reform and the Institute for Energy Research. 3 Comments
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3:57 PM Kodiak Oil & Gas (KOG) is started at Hold with an $11 price target by Deutsche Bank, which likens the company to a "young, talented player still looking for consistency." The firm sees "significant long-term asset value and peer-leading cash flow growth, but with directional risk to the price of crude and inherent risk in KOG's back-end loaded 2013 volume growth." Comment!
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3:13 PM Oil stocks are particularly were well-positioned to take advantage of a stronger H2 economy, Edward Jones' Kate Warne tells CNBC, naming National Oilwell Varco (NOV) and Chevron (CVX) as her top energy picks. Natural gas and oil could see continued strong demand throughout 2013 and beyond, and NOV benefits either way, Warne says; she also likes CVX's "stability" in the oil sector. Comment!
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2:28 PM Rail is no longer seen as just a stopgap for transporting oil until pipelines are built. Case in point: Kinder Morgan Partners' (KMP) proposed 277K bbl/day Freedom pipeline would be the first to bring light, sweet oil from Texas' Permian Basin to California, but refiners Valero (VLO), Tesoro (TSO) and Phillips 66 (PSX) won't sign contracts to use Freedom, preferring the flexibility of rail cars and barges. 14 Comments
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2:14 PM USEC (USU +4.7%) says it will begin stopping uranium enrichment at the end of this month after failing to conclude a deal with the U.S. Department of Energy for an extension of enrichment at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky. The plant is the only U.S.-owned and operated uranium enrichment facility in the U.S. 1 Comment
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1:39 PM Hydrogenics (HYGS +14%) adds to yesterday's gains for a two-day rally of ~28% as SA Pro author Joe Springer's article comes out of embargo. (previous) 4 Comments
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12:21 PM Solar stocks (TAN +0.8%; KWT +1.5%) wrap up a banner week, as Chinese solar panel makers begin to shift emphasis from their overcrowded home market in favor of lucrative exports. The rally was sparked by JA Solar's better than expected shipments, but analysts call for caution: The stocks are addicted to momentum, and stock moves are often disconnected from dire market prospects most of the companies face. Comment!
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11:57 AM Gasoline prices in Minnesota are the highest in the continental U.S., a dubious honor usually reserved for California and odd considering the state borders North Dakota, now the no. 2 U.S. oil producer. Minnesota drivers were paying $4.29/gal. on May 20, $0.62 above the U.S. average. Planned and unplanned maintenance at Midwest refineries have cut into gasoline production and available supplies are depleted, the EIA says. 5 Comments
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11:46 AM Iranian hackers have escalated a campaign of cyberassaults against U.S. companies and were able to gain access to control-system software that could allow them to manipulate oil or gas pipelines, proceeding "far enough to worry people," WSJ reports. Sources don't name the companies targeted but were energy companies along the Canadian border, where many firms have operations. 2 Comments
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11:24 AM Brazil plans to auction off its largest-ever offshore oil discovery in October at the country's first presalt-bid round, selling exploration and production rights for the Libra prospect estimated to hold 8B-12B barrels of recoverable crude oil. Petrobras (PBR) will be required to take a minimum 30% stake in any winning bid group - unrealistic, critics say, since it lacks the necessary personnel and financial resources. Comment!
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10:59 AM Statoil (STO) says its plans for the Johan Castberg oilfield in the Barents Sea are being undermined by unexpected regulatory changes that threaten to limit development in the far north, as the project needs new infrastructure and already was a challenge in terms of costs. CEO Helge Lund says a stable political and regulatory environment has been Norway’s “most important competitive advantage" during the past 20 years. Comment!
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10:38 AM Reliance Industries (RLNIY.OB), BP and Niko Resources say they made a significant gas and condensate discovery at their Krisha Godavari D6 deepwater block off eastern India. Reliance, which operates the venture and holds a 60% interest with BP holding 30%, says the data suggests good flow potential and will evaluate development options. Comment!
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10:11 AM Should there be a cap on oil spill payouts? A group of accounting professors essentially says yes and is backing BP's fight to cap the U.S. oil spill compensation payouts it must fund, which threatens to add billions of dollars to its bill for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. "Identifying revenues and expenses requires more than a mere consideration of cash receipts and disbursements," the profs say. 11 Comments
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9:47 AM Exxon's (XOM -0.4%) arrival as a tentative partner gives InterOil's (IOC +6.9%) Elk/Antelope resource a blue chip "stamp of approval," Raymond James writes, but "the market's enthusiasm will be tempered by the fact that a deal has yet to be finalized." Still unknown: how much of the resource will be monetized; the timing of a final deal; and "most importantly," the purchase price. 1 Comment
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9:38 AM Phillips 66 (PSX) says it plans to use more domestic shale oil at its New Jersey Bayway refinery and could consider exporting gasoline from the facility thanks to lower costs and as U.S. fuel demand wanes. PSX is in the process of building an offloading facility that will allow it to receive 75K bbl/day of additional Bakken crude directly to the refinery. Comment!
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9:28 AM Petrobras (PBR) agrees to sell a stake in an oil and gas exploration block offshore Tanzania to Statoil (STO) for an unspecified amount. PBR will continue to operate the block with a 38% stake, while Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) will retain a 50% share and STO 12%. The deal is part of $9.9B in planned divestments as PBR focuses on developing offshore fields in Brazil. 1 Comment
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8:57 AM Whiting Petroleum (WLL) is upgraded to Buy from Neutral with a $58 price target, up from $51, at SunTrust, due to valuation and upcoming catalysts that include results from its first Bakken Silt and Sanish down-spacing tests, Niobrara results and potential monetization of its Potle EOR field. Shares +1.5% premarket. Comment!
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8:49 AM More on Tsakos Energy's (TNP) Q1 results: Profit improvement was primarily driven by a 6% increase in the average time charter rate per vessel, and a drop in the fleet's overall expenses of 7.4% Y/Y on a per-ship basis while the fleet's total voyage expenses fell 24.1% Y/Y. Utilization rate was 98%. Shares +22.8% premarket. 1 Comment
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8:36 AM Yingli Green Energy (YGE) +13.5% premarket after announcing it will supply 10.269 MW of multicrystalline photovoltaic modules to Amcorp Power in Malaysia in what the company calls the country's largest single site PV power plant. The plant will be able to generate ~13.6M kWh of clean electricity per year. 1 Comment
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8:27 AM Eni (E) could spend more on acquisitions in Belgium as it looks to close the gap on the power retail leader in the country, GDF Suez-owned Electrabel. CEO Paolo Scaroni isn't deterred by the 2008 purchase of Belgium's Distrigas; Eni overpaid but only in the context of the global economic meltdown, Scaroni says. Comment!
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