Alberta's oil sands, which contain vast deposits of bituminous crude oil, have attracted dozens of energy producers from around the world in search of oil. But while they're believed to hold massive untapped reserves, coaxing that heavy oil from the ground is extremely costly.
In fact, according to operators and industry sources, capital costs for oil sands projects are currently on the rise, driven mainly by a chronic shortage of workers and concerns regarding an overheating construction market. An annual report�by the Canadian Energy Research Institute sheds additional light on just how expensive some oil sands projects are. Let's take a closer look.
Cost inflation in Alberta
According to the report, costs for in-situ projects have increased by 6.3% year over year to C$47.57 ($46.35) per barrel, while costs for integrated mining facilities (with upgraders) and stand-alone mining projects have risen 10.9% to C$99.02 per barrel and 13.2% to C$68.30 per barrel, respectively. �
Best Energy Companies For 2015: Abbott Laboratories(ABT)
Abbott Laboratories engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of health care products worldwide. The company offers adult and pediatric pharmaceuticals for rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriasis, and Crohn's disease; dyslipidemia; HIV infection; prostate cancer, endometriosis and central precocious puberty, and anemia caused by uterine fibroids; respiratory syncytial virus; adult males who have low or no testosterone; secondary hyperparathyroidism; hypothyroidism; and pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, as well as anesthesia products. It also provides diagnostic products, such as immunoassay systems; chemistry systems; assays used for screening and/or diagnosis for drugs of abuse, cancer, therapeutic drug monitoring, fertility, physiological, and infectious diseases; instruments that automate the extraction, purification, and preparation of DNA and RNA from patient samples, and detect and measure infections agents; genomic-b ased tests; hematology systems and reagents; and point-of-care diagnostic systems and tests for blood analysis. In addition, the company offers a line of pediatric and adult nutritional products. Further, it provides coronary, endovascular, vessel closure, and structural heart devices, such as drug-eluting stent systems, coronary metallic stents, balloon dilatation products, coronary guidewires, vessel closure devices, carotid stent systems, percutaneous valve repair systems, and drug eluting bioresorbable vascular products. Additionally, the company provides blood glucose monitoring meters, test strips, data management software, and accessories for people with diabetes; and medical devices for the eye, including cataract surgery, lasik surgery, contact lens, and dry eye products, as well as branded generic pharmaceutical products. Abbott primarily serves retailers, wholesalers, hospitals, and health care facilities. Abbott was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Max Macaluso, Ph.D.]
Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT ) may be up 10.7% since the start of 2013, but this stock has lagged behind the S&P 500 index and many of its health care peers, including Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX ) and�Johnson & Johnson. Abbott's next big catalyst will be its second-quarter results, which are set to be revealed tomorrow morning, but will earnings wow investors, or will they miss estimates and disappoint?
- [By George Acs]
I currently own shares of Pfizer (PFE), Abbott Labs (ABT) and Eli Lilly (LLY) in addition to Merck (MRK), so I tread a little gingerly when considering adding either more shares of Merck or a new position in Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), while I keep an eye of the need to remain diversified. Both of those, however, have traded well in their current price range and offer the kind of premium, dividend opportunity and liquidity that I like to see when considering covered call related purchases. As with Baxter, in the case of Merck I might consider selling September options because of the upcoming dividend.
10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Suntech Power Holdings Co. LTD.(STP)
Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd., a solar energy company, engages in the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of photovoltaic (PV) products. The company also provides engineering, procurement, and construction services to building solar power systems for certain related party and third party customers. Its products include monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon PV cells; PV modules; and building-integrated photovoltaics products. In addition, the company provides PV system integration services, including designing, installing, and testing PV systems used in lighting for outdoor urban public facilities, as well as in farms, villages, and commercial buildings; and project development services. Its products are used to provide electric power for residential, commercial, industrial, and public utility applications. The company sells its products through value-added resellers, such as distributors and system integrators; and to end users, such as project develo pers primarily in Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Benelux, Greece, the United States, Canada, China, the Middle East, Australia, and Japan. Suntech Power Holdings Co., Ltd. is headquartered in Wuxi, the People?s Republic of China.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rebecca McClay]
Along with communications technology, several other sectors were noting strong movements this week, including solar stocks and dry bulk shipping. Solar stocks have soared since JPMorgan said today the industry has significant room for growth. Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. (NYSE ADR: STP) shares were up about 2.2% in afternoon trade.
10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: United States Steel Corporation(X)
United States Steel Corporation produces and sells steel mill products in North America and Central Europe. It operates in three segments: Flat-rolled Products (Flat-rolled), U. S. Steel Europe (USSE), and Tubular Products (Tubular). The Flat-rolled segment offers slabs, rounds, strip mill plates, sheets, and tin mill products, as well as iron ore and coke. This segment serves service center, conversion, transportation, construction, container, and appliance and electrical markets in North America. The USSE segment offers slabs, sheets, strip mill plates, tin mill products, and spiral welded pipes, as well as heating radiators and refractory ceramic materials. This segment serves the European construction, service center, conversion, container, transportation, and appliance and electrical, as well as and oil, gas, and petrochemical markets. The Tubular segment offers seamless and electric resistance welded steel casing and tubing; and standard, and line pipe and mechanical tubing. It primarily serves customers in the oil, gas, and petrochemical markets. The company also provides transportation services, including railroad and barge operations. In addition, it owns, develops, and manages various real estate assets, which include approximately 200,000 acres of surface rights primarily in Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania; participates in joint ventures that are developing real estate projects in Alabama, Maryland, and Illinois; and owns approximately 4,000 acres of land in Ontario, Canada. The company was founded in 1901 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Ben Levisohn]
The news has hit Nucor’s shares today. Its stock has dropped 1.4% to $51.30, even as U.S. Steel (X) has gained 0.3% to $27.20, AK Steel (AKS) has gained 1.2% to $6.10 and Steel Dynamics (STLD) has decline 0.1% to $18.95. Encana is little changes at $17.95.
- [By Alex Planes]
The end of an error
On April 24, 2001, a two-decade-long mistake was finally corrected when USX announced its plans to split two jointly held but separately traded businesses into their own fully independent companies: U.S. Steel (NYSE: X ) and Marathon Oil. The steel and oil companies had operated together under the USX umbrella since 1986 after merging in 1982, although each had been traded independently since 1991.
10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Bank Of Montreal (BMO)
Bank of Montreal, together with its subsidiaries, provides a range of retail banking, wealth management, and investment banking products and solutions in North America and internationally. It offers personal banking products and services to consumers and small businesses, including deposit and investment services, mortgages, consumer credit, small business lending, and other banking services; and commercial banking products and services to small business, medium-sized enterprise, and mid-market banking clients comprising lending, deposits, treasury management, and risk management services. The company also offers cards and payments services; investment and wealth advisory services; self-directed investing services; private banking services to high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients; investment fund solutions across a range of channels; pension plans; investment management services; and creditor insurance, and life insurance and annuity products and services. In add ition, it provides capital markets products and services, including equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and recapitalizations, balance sheet management, liquidity management, merchant banking, securitization, foreign exchange, derivatives, debt and equity research, and institutional sales and trading to corporate, institutional, and government clients. As of October 31, 2010, Bank of Montreal operated and maintained approximately 1,230 bank branches in Canada and the United States. The company was founded in 1817 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Alyssa Oursler]
Head north of the border and you’ll come across Bank of Montreal (BMO), our final safe income pick. If you were impressed by Chevron’s century of dividend payments, consider this: BMO has been rewarding loyal shareholders since 1829. For perspective, remember that the U.S. was just over 50 years old at that time.
- [By Dan Caplinger]
On Wednesday, Bank of Montreal (NYSE: BMO ) will release its latest quarterly results. With a solid reputation as a strong Canadian financial institution, the bank has benefited from superior conditions in the Canadian economy over the past several years, avoiding much of the trouble that U.S. banks suffered during the financial crisis in 2008.
10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: CNH Global N.V. (CNH)
CNH Global N.V. manufactures, markets, and distributes a line of agricultural and construction equipment and parts worldwide. It operates in three segments: Agricultural Equipment, Construction Equipment, and Financial Services. The Agricultural Equipment segment provides tractors, combine harvesters, hay and forage equipment, seeding and planting equipment, tillage equipment, and sprayers, as well as cotton picker packagers, and sugar cane and grape harvesters primarily under the Case IH and New Holland brands. The Construction Equipment segment offers heavy construction equipment, such as crawler and wheeled excavators, wheel loaders, graders, dozers, and articulated haul trucks; and light construction equipment, including backhoe loaders, skid steer and tracked loaders, mini and midi excavators, compact wheel loaders, and telehandlers primarily under the Case and New Holland Construction brands. This segment serves construction companies, municipalities, local governmen ts, rental fleet owners, quarrying and aggregate mining companies, waste management companies, forestry-related concerns, contractors, residential builders, utilities, road construction companies, landscapers, logistics companies, and farmers. The Financial Services segment provides financial products and services, including retail financing for the purchase or lease of the company�s and other manufacturers� new and used products; and facilitates the sale of insurance products and other financing programs to retail customers. This segment also offers wholesale financing to its dealers and rental equipment operators, as well as financing options to dealers to finance working capital, real estate, and other fixed assets and maintenance equipment. CNH Global N.V. sells and distributes its products through dealers and distributors in approximately 170 countries. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. CNH Global N.V. is a subsidiary of Fiat Netherlands Holding N.V.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By vaninaegea]
In august, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) published the mid-year review for the agricultural sector. Their findings point to a slowdown for the industry, highlighting a 9.5% decline on exports through the first half of 2013. Also, late soybean planting in the USA is expected to compound the industry�� slowdown. So, what are the prospects for AGCO (AGCO), CNH Global (CNH), and Deere & Co. (DE) under such conditions?
10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Transdigm Group Incorporated(TDG)
TransDigm Group Incorporated designs, produces, and supplies engineered aircraft components for use on commercial and military aircraft principally in the United States. The company?s products include mechanical/electro-mechanical actuators and controls, ignition systems and engine technology, pumps and valves, power conditioning devices, AC/DC electric motors and generators, NiCad batteries and chargers, engineered latching and locking devices, rods and locking devices, engineered connectors and elastomers, cockpit security components and systems, cockpit displays, aircraft audio systems, lavatory components, engineered interior surfaces, and lighting and control technology. Its customers comprise distributors of aerospace components; commercial airlines, including national and regional airlines; commercial transport and regional and business aircraft original equipment manufacturers (OEMs); various armed forces of the United States and foreign governments; defense OEMs; system suppliers; and various other industrial customers. TransDigm Group Incorporated was founded in 1993 and is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Brendan Mathews]
We asked which current CEOs fit the�Outsiders�mold. Thorndike reeled off a short list of names, but he started with Michael Pearson of�Valeant Pharmaceuticals� (NYSE: VRX ) . He went on to mention Nicholas Howley of�TransDigm Group� (NYSE: TDG ) , and Rich Kinder of�Kinder Morgan� (NYSE: KMI ) .�
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By Rich Smith]
Cleveland-based TransDigm Group (NYSE: TDG ) is buying a piece of GE.
On Friday, as trading wound down for the week, TransDigm announced a deal to buy the Electromechanical Actuation Division of General Electric (NYSE: GE ) Aviation for $150 million, cash. The business, which makes proprietary, highly engineered aerospace electromechanical motion control subsystems for civil and military applications, counts all three of the world's biggest airplane manufacturers -- Boeing, Airbus, and Brazil's Embraer -- among its clients, and Sikorsky and General Atomics, as well, on the military side.
10 Best Canadian Stocks To Own For 2014: Barrick Gold Corporation (ABX)
Barrick Gold Corporation engages in the production and sale of gold, as well as related activities, such as exploration and mine development. The company has a portfolio of 25 operating mines and a pipeline of projects located in North America, South America, the Australia Pacific region, and Africa. It also produces copper and holds interests in oil and gas properties located in Canada. The company was founded in 1983 and is based in Toronto, Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Patricio Kehoe]
Apart from mounting debt levels and shrinking margins, the firm�� operational problems and poor product mix shifts, have led to recurring operating losses. Also, as cash flows are nullified, new acquisitions are not feasible. Unlike other troubled competitors such as Barrick Gold Corp (ABX), Golden Star�� balance sheet is simply not strong enough to deal with so many set-backs. Hence, it comes as little surprise that previously bullish gurus have recently sold their entire stake in the firm. I would do the same, as this company�� future is not only grim, but could even include bankruptcy in the near future due to a lack of funds.
- [By Doug Ehrman]
In the following video below, Fool.com contributor Doug Ehrman discusses the impact that expansionary monetary policy has had on miners such as Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX ) and Goldcorp (NYSE: GG ) , and he looks at what the end of this era could mean for those companies.
- [By Ben Levisohn]
With all the problems gold miners faced in 2013, the pushback many received from those living near the mines probably ranked near the bottom of the list, especially since it gave companies like Newmont Mining (NEM) and Barrick Gold (ABX) ready excuses to cut back on spending.
No comments:
Post a Comment