These Oil and Gas Technologies Lower Costs, Boost Upside: James West
Source: Zig Lambo of The Energy Report  (8/7/12)
There's more to the oil and gas business than drilling holes and distributing what comes out of the ground. Technological advancements in other details of exploration and production are creating major opportunities. In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, EnerTech Advisor publisher James West fills us in on new cost-cutting technologies and the relatively unknown companies behind them, as well as some major companies that are already benefiting from them. More >

Signs Mount of North Sea Oil Supply Drop in September
Source: Bloomberg, Alex Lawler  (8/7/12)
"The prospect of lower supply is leading to a rise in Brent prices that is felt by consumers and businesses around the world, as Brent is used for pricing crude produced in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and parts of Asia." More >

All Roads Lead to Berlin
Source: Bob Kirtley, SK Options Trading  (8/7/12)
"Despite numerous summits, we still look to the European Commissioners to present and implement a solution that would boost economic activity and drive down unemployment. As we see it, there are only two choices: They can either default or print." More >

Guatemala Steps Back from Mining Reform Plans
Source: Reuters  (8/7/12)
"The Guatemalan government is stepping back from plans to take a stake of as much as 40% in new mining projects, a top government official said." More >

Gold Will Hit New Highs in 2013 and Beyond: Blanchard
Source: Lawrence Williams, Mineweb  (8/7/12)
"While gold finished 2011 in consolidation mode after reaching a record nominal high above $1,900/oz in September, Blanchard's analysts see the stage being set for another robust advance through the remainder of the year and beyond." More >

Gold Close to Confirming a New Breakout to All-Time Highs
Source: David Banister, Market Trend Forecast  (8/7/12)
"I expect gold to rally for about 8–13 months into at least June 2013, and our longstanding target has been in the $2,300/oz arena." More >

Obama Expedites Solar and Wind Projects
Source: USA Today, David Jackson  (8/7/12)
"President Obama ordered expedited construction of seven solar and wind energy projects in four western states: Arizona, California, Nevada and Wyoming." More >

Why Junior Gold Stocks Are Still the Place to Be: Edward Karr
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Gold Report  (8/6/12)
Edward Karr, CEO of Geneva-based RAMPartners, favors a disciplined, patient and steady approach to investing in junior gold mining companies. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Karr shares his thoughts on the European crisis, its effect on gold prices and some of his favorite junior gold mining companies. More >

Speculators Pile Into Gold Futures, Options
Source: Kitco News, Debbie Carlson  (8/6/12)
"For the week ended July 31, speculators in the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's weekly commitment of traders report saw their net-long positions in gold rise significantly in both the legacy and disaggregated reports." More >

Gold and Silver Regaining Footing as Treasuries Make Bearish Reversal
Source: Jeb Handwerger, Gold Stock Trades  (8/6/12)
"The long-range upward trajectory of precious metals, particularly gold, is continuing higher and has considerably higher to go." More >

Five Ways to Invest in Gold
Source: MetroWest Daily News  (8/6/12)
"A recent survey shows that nearly half of U.S. investors don't believe they're knowledgeable enough about the precious metal to make a decision about adding gold to their portfolios. The World Gold Council highlights these five options to get investors started." More >

Likelihood 'Remains High' for Central Bank Stimulus
Source: Ben Traynor, BullionVault  (8/6/12)
"Precious metals prices held on to most of their gains from Friday's rally, which coincided with a stock market rally following better-than expected U.S. non-farm jobs data, as well as news that Spain may seek a bailout." More >

South Africa Tops Gold Grade List
Source: Christy Filen, Mineweb  (8/6/12)
"After more than a century of gold mining in the country, South Africa is featured in the number one spot in terms of gold grades, with Canada close on its heels, in a report drawn up by Natural Resource Holdings' Roy Sebag." More >

China Cracks Down on Illegal Rare Earth Mining, 50 Arrested
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (8/6/12)
"While China's Guangdong Province is allowed to mine only 2,000 mt of rare earth oxides annually, illegal mining production surpassed 40,000 mt last year." More >

EU and China Race to Greenland's Rare Earths Gold Rush
Source: AFP  (8/6/12)
"The E.U. commissioner approached Greenland for exploitation rights to rare earth metal ores in return for technological and environmental mining know-how—to find Chinese miners already working the ground." More >

Near-Term Oil and Gas Investment Strategies
Source: Keith Schaefer, Oil & Gas Investments Bulletin  (8/6/12)
"Canadian oil and gas research analysts Josef Schachter and Martin Pelletier explained one of the key strategies to make money in the junior oil sector—trade the volatility and learn how to read the swings." More >

Second Cuban Offshore Oil Well Also a Bust
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek, Peter Orsi  (8/6/12)
"A second deep-water exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico has proved a bust, Cuba's state oil company announced Monday, dealing another blow to the island's dreams of petroleum riches." More >

NASA Draws on Nuclear Power for Mars Trek
Source: L.A. Times, W.J. Hennigan  (8/6/12)
"The rover will be powered by an advanced nuclear power system, called the Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator." More >

Triple Win for Biofuels on Capitol Hill
Source: Biofuels Digest, Jim Lane  (8/6/12)
"The Senate Appropriations Committee added $100M to the Defense Production Act, which includes funding for the Navy's proposed military biofuels program." More >

MLP Markets Had 'Too Much Input'
Source: Hinds Howard, MLP HINDSight  (8/6/12)
"This week in the MLP space, we had too much input, with a constant stream of earnings releases and conference calls, schizophrenic commodity prices and a volatile overall stock market." More >

Summer Slump in Silver Prices Closer to an End
Source: Carrington, Money Morning  (8/6/12)
"Silver prices have suffered this year as the white metal has lost its luster as a safe-haven investment, but the pullback has slowed and may be bottoming out." More >

How to Cure Aging, Disease and Low Stock Performance
Source: Patrick Cox, The Penny Sleuth  (8/6/12)
"To live a longer and wealthier life, now's the time to add companies with inflammation-beating products to your medicine cabinet and your portfolio." More >

Fed Hits 'Kill' Switch on Liquidity
Source: Clif Droke  (8/5/12)
"Gold, as the ultimate safe haven at both ends of the long-wave, will eventually prove its merit as a store of value in deflation. Before we arrive at that critical juncture, however, there will undoubtedly be phases of volatility along the way that temporarily obstruct gold's forward progress." More >

Precious Metals Short-Term Outlook Is Bullish
Source: Jordan Roy-Byrne, The Daily Gold  (8/5/12)
"We believe that gold and gold stocks are primed to head higher in the coming weeks." More >

The One Ratio Every Energy Investor Should Use
Source: Kent Moors, Oil & Energy Investor  (8/5/12)
"Energy Returned on Energy Invested (EROEI) is becoming a substantial element in the availability and cost of energy." More >