Natural gas has become the coal industry's arch-nemesis, thanks to record production and relatively cheap prices. Fortunately for a few companies, this trend has had a negative impact only on the domestic thermal coal market. Export markets for both metallurgical and thermal coal still have promise.
That's why Alpha Natural Resources (NYSE: ANR) is certainly one of the better picks in an industry that has a murky future. It has a diverse asset base in terms of both geography and product type. Much like larger peer Peabody Energy (BTU +0.00%), Alpha Natural holds the keys to cheap mines in the Powder River Basin, along with mines in the Appalachia region, which typically come with a higher production cost structure.
So will ANR's metallurgical coal assets and its industry-leading exports keep its shares from bottoming out any further? Our Motley Fool analysts talk about it in the following video.
