- Canadian oil producers plunged for a second straight day as "all bets are off" after election results in Alberta raised concerns over the possibility of higher taxes for the companies.
- Among today's losers: SU -2.6%, OTCPK:HUSKF -5.2%, GTE -5.8%, PWE -5.7%, IMO -1%, CVE -1%, OTCQX:COSWF -3.4%, OTCPK:MEGEF -5%.
- COSWF is among the most exposed to a potential hike in royalties and stricter environmental policies, while electricity supplier TransAlta (NYSE:TAC) would suffer from the new government’s vow to shut coal plants sooner than planned, according to analysts at BMO Nesbitt Burns and RBC Dominion.
- Advice is split on owning stocks of companies that transport and process fuels in Alberta; Raymond James says stocks such as TransCanada (NYSE:TRP) and Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) are less directly exposed to reduced investment in the sector, but RBC advises to sell pipeline and midstream companies with operations in Alberta.
- Analysts also are divided about how much producers with oil refineries, such as SU and IMO, could offset losses from potentially higher royalties by boosting processing of crude in Alberta, a move pro-labor NDP has pledged to support.