Applying More Logic To Oil Prices

Adam Feik - INO.com Contributor - Energies


I wrote last week about applying some logic to the oil crash, which as of January 20th had taken prices below $27.

It seems like ever since the very day I wrote the article (January 20th), a lot more "logic" has seeped into energy markets, as oil has quickly rebounded to around $34 (I'm sure my article had something to do with that; ha ha).

Could things possibly be stabilizing somewhat?

I know oil prices can always be volatile, but surely the crash that's taken prices from $107 to $27 can't continue forever. So what's next? Continue reading "Applying More Logic To Oil Prices"

What's Next For Oil? Use Logic

Adam Feik - INO.com Contributor - Energies


All right. Now we've tried everything. And we still can't figure out when oil prices will finally turn around – or at least stabilize.

Experts' predictions are all over the map. Smart people – including analysts, industry executives, and entrepreneurs – are on both sides. Many predict even lower oil prices before the market steadies itself. Many others predict oil in the $40-60 range again as soon as the 2nd half of 2016. Both groups have applied rigorous study and analysis. Both have valid, compelling points.

Yet, the more I listen, the more confused I become. Meanwhile, oil prices continue falling like a knife. What's truly causing this massive, slow-moving train wreck from $107/barrel in June 2014 to $27/barrel 19 months later?

Logic

Recently, many pundits and experts seem to be speaking in a refreshing new language. It sounds a lot like logic and common sense. I've heard a ton of commentary lately that makes me go "hmm, that seems logical." Today I'll summarize a selection of these observations, and add a few musings of my own.

We've tried everything else. Let's try applying some logic to the situation. Continue reading "What's Next For Oil? Use Logic"

This Coin Beats All!

Aibek Burabayev - INO.com Contributor - Metals


Break Rules, Change The World!

Indeed, we are living in an exciting time of dramatic changes in our world. Nowadays, when you talk about the channel, it can be YouTube, not MTV. When you need a ride, it can be Uber, not a taxi. When you are going to shop it can be on Amazon or Alibaba, not at Wal-Mart and we can count on further changes in the future.

By the way, Uber is the largest taxi company, but it has no cars, same as Alibaba which is the largest retailer, but it has no stores. Today I want to review the currency that has no controlling government, but has the value, the value that people are ready to pay for with real fiat money.

Cryptocurrency, digital currency, virtual currency are all the names of Bitcoin (BTC), the digital asset as described in Wikipedia. It doesn't matter what you call it as long at it performs well. Let's look at how it has been behaving for the last year on the chart below. Continue reading "This Coin Beats All!"

Copper Update: Metal Signals Short Term Bottom For Oil

Aibek Burabayev - INO.com Contributor - Metals


In my previous update, I recommended covering your short positions in Copper to save a decent profit from the sudden reversal. The next day the price dipped further down to a round figure favoring buyback. Then until today, we saw volatile sideways trading inside of the 2.025/2.125 range. Currently, the metal has traded on the upper side of it. In the meantime crude oil has plummeted to an 11-year low and the two assets have diverged sharply since.

Chart 1: Copper-Crude Oil Comparative chart: The Chain Has Been Broken

Copper-Crude Oil Comparative chart
Chart courtesy of tradingview.com

The days following my last Copper/Oil post, Crude oil moved $2 higher as expected, but it couldn't close above the $44 mark and the oversupplied market brought the price down sharply. Despite that, Copper stood still charting a sideways pattern and expanding the triangle. Supply cut fears amid a weakening US dollar have spurred demand for the metal. Continue reading "Copper Update: Metal Signals Short Term Bottom For Oil"

Chevron Flashes Buy

Adam Feik - INO.com Contributor - Energies


You read that headline correctly. Don't look now (you might jinx it), but Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), the large integrated oil major, now sports green monthly and weekly Trade Triangles on its MarketClub chart. And this with oil at $35 per barrel.

CVX has given back about 29% of its value since closing at $134.85 on June 24, 2014 (on a price-only basis). At its worst, the stock's peak-to-trough decline was nearly 47% as of this August 25th, when CVX closed at $70.02. Wednesday's closing price was a much better $93.44 – good for a cool 33% gain for anyone lucky enough to have caught the falling knife right at its recent bottom.

CVX is now down just 12.9% for 2015 year-to-date (YTD) when including dividends. On a 3-year annualized basis, CVX shares have lost 0.6% annualized, and on a 5-year basis, the number is +4.77% per year. All those performance numbers are on par with Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) and other integrated oil majors. You could safely say it's been a wild ride for all of them. Continue reading "Chevron Flashes Buy"