It Looks Like Arch Coal Can't Capitalize on CONSOL's Optimistic Outlook
The outlook for coal companies looked pretty decent after CONSOL Energy upped its guidance for coal production, but Arch Coal's earnings have painted a different picture.
Investors in coal are looking for something, anything, that might indicate the market will start to turn around. That is why we saw so many coal companies' share prices increase when CONSOL Energy (NYSE:CNX) upped its production guidance for the year. Unfortunately for investors in Arch Coal (NASDAQOTH:ACIIQ), that slight euphoria was rather short-lived once the company released yet another disappointing earnings quarter.
For Arch to start turning things around, it needs to address one issue more than anything else: operational costs in the Powder River Basin. In the video below, find out why costs in this particular region are more important to the future profitability of Arch Coal than almost anything else.