Energy, Energy Service, Natural Gas &amp; Oil Sectors

Top 108. Apr 1, 2001 11:48 AM

» lcha - Re: Re: Re: Re: Amazing!

In response to message posted by JeffChristy:

For my taste, the biggest drawback on pxd is the debt to equity ratio of 1.75 and the current ratio of 0.88. Only IMHO.

-- posted by lcha

Top 109. Apr 1, 2001 12:05 PM

» lcha - Re: Re: Amazing!

In response to message posted by JenL_2:

Cool! I currently own PLLL, EXCO and GRKA. I realy love PLLL. Several years ago I did lots of seismic work for PLLL and have met some and have firsthand knowledge of many of the PLLL players and their geophysicist. Very good management team, lots of 3d seismic and a wealth of prospects. PLLL also has the most knowledgeable and articulate BB posters on finance.yahoo.com of ANY company I follow. Looks like PLLL may have had a breakout Friday as well. Over $5 on heavy volume.

I like EXCOs growth thru acquisition strategy and having T.Boone on the board lends some hand in this area.

GRKA is just dirt cheap by any measure with great CF/share.

My problem is that based on my long term outlook for energy, there are just so many good value plays that I have a hard time deciding where to invest. I guess things could be worse huh?

BTW, there is a great business front page article in the Houston Chronicle today on Natural gas prospects. Look for it on www.chron.com. After you read it try not to put ALL your money in NG stocks tomorrow.

-- posted by lcha

Top 110. Apr 1, 2001 12:40 PM

» lcha - people shortage

A few years ago I was a partner in a small seismic data processing company. I currently am a manager in the Houston office of another seismic company. The biggest problem I face today is finding qualified geophysicists to fill positions. The talent drain that has afflicted the O&G industry over the last 15 years will be a crisis when exploration really picks up.

Chevron did an age study a few years ago focussing on their geoscientists and found a bell shaped age curve with very steep sides at about 35 years and 50 years of age. They used the word crisis as well when looking 5 years+ out. We have not graduated geoscientists in any significant numbers in 15 years and we have forced into retirement older, experienced workers. This talent shortage extends all the way down to experienced rig personnel as well. From my management perspective the situation is scary. From a national standpoint, it is just one more energy area we have neglected and now presents a long term problem.

-- posted by lcha

Energy Sector WatchList

Top 111. Apr 1, 2001 12:42 PM

» JenL_2 - Energy Sector WatchList

In response to message posted by Kirk:

Thanks Icha & Kirk for the Houston Chronicle Natural Gas article. It's great to have someone join the group with expertise in Energy Resource Exploration. Here's an....

We can add to the list as more companies are discussed on this thread.

Seems like with the current energy shortage and GW in office..it'll be a greenlight for the energy exploration, resourcing and marketing companies....

..especially those in Texas!.....Jen

-- posted by JenL_2

Top 112. Apr 1, 2001 12:51 PM

» Kirk - Re: people shortage

In response to message posted by lcha:

Isn't it funny how it goes around and comes around?

I remember well 1971 when a good, family friend, who was a role-model engineer to me, was at Lockheed in 1971 as a manager and he said they kept a skeleton staff in the office but did nothing all day. I was just starting high school, but remember going into "nuclear engineering" in 1975 when I graduated High School thinking that "I could solve the energy crisis" by working on Fusion rather than Fission and there would be jobs there... Needless to say, I got my degree in EECS and the boom for Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists was just starting... (jobs were NOT at all plentiful in 1978 when I got a summer job but they started to really pick up in '79 as the boom was starting.).

Wouldn't it be something if the next employment boom is in the energy and seismic sector? IF WCOM really has enough infrastructure to last until 2008, etc... then those building homes in CA for future Cisco employees will probably go work on oil and gas rigs as the job growth will go that way...

-- posted by Kirk

http://stockcharts.com/def/servlet/SC.we...

Top 113. Apr 1, 2001 3:33 PM

» lcha - breakout?

Maybe one of you TA types can give me an opinion as to whether PLLL looks like a breakout. Heavy volume up close after a period of consolidation.

-- posted by lcha

Top 114. Apr 1, 2001 6:03 PM

» lcha - Yardeni on power

Below is an excerpt from Ed Yardeni's latest weekly comments. So this will be the "Decade of Power". Rev up the SUVs and crank up the A/C!!

Sunday morning, April 1, 2001

COMMENT: The new international sport is Bottom Spotting. Everyone wants to
get credit for spotting the bottom in stock prices. Suddenly, everyone seems
to be using the Fed's Stock Valuation Model to show that stocks are 5%
undervalued. I don't recall that the model was so popular among all the
bulls when it showed that stocks were 70% overvalued at the start of last
year. I would love to pick the bottom too. But there are enough strategists
working on it now that I think focusing on sector performance might be more
useful. In the past, the key to outperforming the S&P 500 has been to pick
the one sector that was most likely to be the decade's big winner. In the
1980s, it was the Consumer. In the 1990s, it was Technology. Now my pick is
Power (i.e., energy resources, utilities, distribution, and capital
spending). A reasonable estimate is that we will spend at least $200 billion
between now and 2005 to expand electricity-generating capacity. (Energy &
Utilities are still only 10% of the S&P 500 market capitalization versus 26%
for Technology & Communication Services.)

-- posted by lcha

Top 115. Apr 4, 2001 4:44 PM

» lcha - AGA report

Below is a good synopsis to the latest AGA storage report. (copied from a BB post on the PLLL BB at finance.yahoo.com)

In an apt conclusion to a volatile heating season, working gas in storage dropped a sizable 49 Bcf in the week ending March 30, lowering stocks nationwide to 627 Bcf, or 19.0% of capacity, the American Gas Association said Wednesday. In addition, 2 Bcf of base gas was withdrawn in the producing region, bringing the total to date to 11 Bcf. The year-to-year deficit rose to 404 Bcf from 360 Bcf, while the deficit from the five-year average climbed to 329 Bcf from 294 Bcf. AGA's five-year average showed a withdrawal of 14 Bcf and an average working-gas volume of 956 Bcf. In the same week a year ago, 5 Bcf was withdrawn to lower working gas to 1.031 Tcf, 31% of capacity. Two years ago, 2 Bcf was injected to raise storage to 1.337 Tcf, 41% of capacity.
Three years ago, withdrawal of 20 Bcf reduced storage volumes to 1.006 Tcf, 32% of capacity and that year's low. Four years ago, withdrawal of 1 Bcf dropped storage to 831 Bcf, 26% of capacity. And five years ago, withdrawal of 51 Bcf lowered storage to 574 Bcf, 18% of capacity. Working gas last week dropped 13 Bcf in the producing region, to 210 Bcf (334 Bcf a year ago), and 44 Bcf in the consuming region east, to 253 Bcf (441 Bcf a year ago), and rose 8 Bcf in the consuming region west, to 164 Bcf (256 Bcf a year ago). Regionally, working-gas levels as a percentage of full capacity were 22.0% in the producing region (down from 23.4% the previous week); 13.8% in the consuming region east (down from 16.2%); and 32.4% in the consuming region west (up from 30.8%).

-- posted by lcha

Top 116. Apr 5, 2001 6:43 AM

» lcha - Greenspan's NG statement yesterday

Separately, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said Wednesday that while the United States has moved to a high-tech
economy, the country still has large energy requirements.

Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, Greenspan said it was "essential" that domestic natural gas supplies rise, otherwise
the nation will need a "very significant increase" in imports of liquefied natural gas.

-- posted by lcha