Category: General

Oil drilling technology leaps, clean energy lags

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Technology created an energy revolution over the past decade just not the one we expected.

By now, cars were supposed to be running on fuel made from plant waste or algae or powered by hydrogen or cheap batteries that burned nothing at all. Electricity would be generated with solar panels and wind turbines. When the sun didn't shine or the wind didn't blow, power would flow out of batteries the size of tractor-trailers.

Fossil fuels? They were going to be expensive and scarce, relics of an earlier, dirtier age.

But in the race to conquer energy technology, Old Energy is winning. Continue reading "Oil drilling technology leaps, clean energy lags" →

ECB cuts benchmark interest rate to 0.5 percent

Posted on by The INO.com Team

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi isn't ruling out more central bank action to help the lagging eurozone economy even after the bank cut its key benchmark to a historic low.

Draghi said Thursday that the central bank for the 17 countries that use the euro would monitor all indicators and officials "stand ready to act if needed."

He did not specify what action might be taken but the remark appeared to leave open the possibility the ECB could cut rates even further.

The bank lowered its benchmark refinancing rate Thursday by a quarter-point to 0.50 percent at a meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. Continue reading "ECB cuts benchmark interest rate to 0.5 percent" →

U.S. Energy Self-Sufficiency Nothing But 'Feel-Good BS'

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The Energy Report: In September 2012, you described $100/barrel (bbl) as the new normal. What market factors are behind today's price of $93/bbl?

Bob Moriarty: If the new normal is $100/bbl in any given market, the price should be as high as $115/bbl and as low as $85/bbl. The price will continue to swing around that. Even with the Bakken coming on-line and other domestic U.S. production occurring in the U.S., cheap oil is gone.

TER: So when you look at oil consumption, do you look just at the U.S. or do you look globally? For example, what role does China play?

BM: I am concerned with U.S. consumption as a measure of how the economy is doing. Oil use in the U.S. has been declining since 2008 because economic activity has been declining since then. I think oil consumption in the U.S. is the best indicator of economic activity because there is direct correlation between the two. [See first chart below]

China is an indicator of global consumption. I am not concerned with global consumption. But if you want to measure what is happening in China, look at the spot price of copper, which is hitting new lows. China is slowing down. [See second chart below] Continue reading "U.S. Energy Self-Sufficiency Nothing But 'Feel-Good BS'" →

Gold's Plunge Ultimately Healthy for the Sector: Michael Gray

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The Gold Report: On April 15, gold dropped to a two-year low as panic selling set in across many mined commodities. Was this the larger players showing the retail market who is in control or was it inevitable?

Michael Gray: Several firms have been predicting a mid-cycle correction for gold; it just happened faster and with more volatility than expected. It also seems to be a very well-timed short-selling trade, especially on the back of the positive gold price correlation with quantitative easing (QE) breaking down and reversing post-QE3. In addition, there was no response in the gold price to the debt crisis in Cyprus or political concerns with North Korea. This was an opportunistic time for the shorts to come in, and they did, forcefully.

TGR: Does this indicate that investors prefer equities to gold? Continue reading "Gold's Plunge Ultimately Healthy for the Sector: Michael Gray" →

U.S. home prices rise by most in nearly 7 years

Posted on by The INO.com Team

U.S. home prices rose in February compared with a year ago by the most in nearly seven years, as a growing number of buyers bid on a limited supply of homes.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index climbed 9.3 percent in the 12 months ending in February. That's up from an 8.1 percent gain in January.

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View this list for free now. Continue reading "U.S. home prices rise by most in nearly 7 years" →