Energy prices have been increasing
for some time now. But over the last
year, which energy commodity has seen the sharpest increase, spiking +166%?
A.) Ethanol
B.) Crude oil
C.) Coal
D.) Natural gas
E.) Electricity
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Published:
June 30, 2008
The
correct answer is 
(C.) Coal
While oil prices have been grabbing
the all the energy headlines over the past
year, coal
prices have spiked higher than
oil, rising
+166% -- the sharpest increase of any
energy commodity. And although
coal is currently trading at record prices
nearing $140 per ton, some forecasts
have prices continuing to rise.
As energy-hungry emerging-market
nations ramp up their energy demand,
coal has been the fastest-growing
fuel source on the planet. Over the
past five years, global consumption
of coal has grown by 1.4 billion
tons, or about +30%. That's double
the +16% growth in natural gas and
more than triple the +9% growth in
oil.
As expected, Wall Street has cheered
these developments and many
investors are taking a shine to coal
mining stocks. In the span
from 2002 through the end of last
year, the average coal stock
delivered a hefty return of +231%,
nearly quadruple the +64% gain of
the S&P 500. And consumption is
expected to continue to climb,
further increasing coal mining
profits.
With that in mind, those looking for
"black gold" for their own
portfolios need to read Nathan
Slaughter's
Half-Priced Stocks newsletter. In
a recent issue,
Nathan offered an in-depth analysis
of the coal industry and dug deep
to find six companies worth taking a
long look at (most of which have
racked up three-year cumulative
returns well over +200%). To learn
more about these stocks, and to
learn more about the
Half-Priced
Stocks newsletter,
please visit this link.
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