At the same time when most major oil companies like ExxonMobil (XOM -1.18%) are pulling back on the capital expenditure lever, drilling activity outside of the United States is reaching 30 year highs. For the past couple of years, America's drilling and production has been the clear headline in the energy sector. It appears the rest of the world is determined to catch up. With the price of oil riding high internationally, drilling programs have amped up in both conventional and unconventional -- i.e. horizontal and offshore -- wells. The Middle East and Africa have been leading the charge, where national oil companies typically rule the roost. For more, check out the short clip below.
Exxon presents a nice income investment, but so do these 9 companies
One of the dirty secrets that few finance professionals will openly admit is the fact that dividend stocks as a group handily outperform their non-dividend paying brethren. The reasons for this are too numerous to list here, but you can rest assured that it's true. However, knowing this is only half the battle. The other half is identifying which dividend stocks in particular are the best. With this in mind, our top analysts put together a free list of nine high-yielding stocks that should be in every income investor's portfolio. To learn the identity of these stocks instantly and for free, all you have to do is click here now.
This segment is from Tuesday's edition of "Digging for Value," in which sector analysts Joel South and Taylor Muckerman discuss energy and materials news with host Alison Southwick. The twice-weekly show can be viewed on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It can also be found on Twitter, along with our extended coverage of the energy & materials sectors @TMFEnergy.
