Bill Foote

Sanctions against Russia may result in a shift in energy supplies globally. At the center of this shift is a metal critical for energy delivery.

Cold weather, slow trains, bad tracks, volatile and sometimes lethal cargoes all seem to add up to more profit for railway networks.

Declining copper prices are helping to realign markets for the commodity and use of the commodity as loan collateral. Will demand continue? Will supply constraints endure? Copper companies are in the middle.

Another utility profits from the oil and gas production boom. Growth for utilities stems from a growing customer and rate base plus non-regulated businesses. When the non-regulated business is oil and gas will risks be rewarded? This company continues to beat the market.

One utility took advantage of its knowledge of its own franchise as the region began to boom. Exposing itself, and its investors, to extracting oil and gas, this utility has learned to grow profit and reap value.

Dominion might well be a buy with its strong dividend growth and market position. Its recent success in garnering customer growth with new investment has been rewarded by regulators and investors.

Utility stocks feed income strategies. This is because their customer base is flat. PPL seems able to grow rate base in spite of flat customer growth. It does this through service improvements and innovative rate cases in multiple regional franchises.

A flat rate base and frozen rates spell zero growth for utility investors. Competitive energy solutions and infrastructure development businesses are a source of small but significant earnings growth for ConEd. This growth is further fueled and financed by city and state campaigns in New York to increase energy efficiency and resiliency.

AES Storage assets run into the $100 million level this year. Improvements in battery and other storage technologies, along with regulatory mandates, make it possible to get positive returns from integrating storage directly into electric grids. The result may be positive storage returns for investors and a more resilient and reliable electric infrastructure.

By refocusing its investments globally, Anandarko is mitigating the near term risk of ongoing low natural gas prices in the U.S. Asset sales in Mozambique will help Anandarko to take advantage of new U.S. finds as prices begin to rise.

To lift crude oil and natural gas export quotas or not? This is a big bet for U.S. refiners who use advantaged West Texas Intermediate pricing and light, tight oil to keep refining and chemicals margins high.

Repeal an energy tax, lift an oil and natural gas export ban, expand markets. This is the recipe for success in Alaska, one of the biggest public-private partnerships in U.S. history.

With severe crude oil pipeline undercapacity, crude-by-rail has a window of opportunity. High-vapor Bakken crude is volatile to transport. Safety liabilities and operational constraints create uncertainty and opportunity for investors.

Focused high-margin cash investments do not appear to be reflected in the current pricing of ConocoPhillips. Strong earnings potential from focused shale gas and high-margin volume plays in liquids should fuel growth and mitigate low natural gas price cycles.

Rare earths are used in everything from steel-making to mobile communications. As the global leader in supplying these minerals, China is growing its usage of rare earths and restricting its exports. One U.S. company stands ready to take advantage of this opportunity.

The rare earth metal tantalum is critical to electronics, steelmaking, transportation, and chemical processes. Idling one key mine provides the collateral needed to fund exploration and development. ArcelorMittal, through its stake in private company Global Advanced Metals, is positioned for growth in steel demand.

Mix basic metals, energy, freight, and diamonds together. That is a complete (inorganic) meal for any trading appetite.

Nuclear power is revving up globally with a 25% increase in new capacity in the next 10 years. Russia and China are stocking up on uranium oxide through Kazakhstan, which produces most of the world’s uranium. Startups like Peninsula Energy have efficient technology and incentives to beat the mining odds.

Tanzania just levied a $258 million capital gains tax on Ophir Energy’s sales of deepwater gas interests to Singapore’s Pavilion Energy. More restrictive investments are on the horizon as developing countries attempt to reap the benefits of foreign direct investment.

South Africa is lining up Russian and French nuclear power companies to build and maintain additions to its nuclear fleet. Globally, nuclear power is on the rise with renewables increasingly competing with fossil-based energy.