DataViews

VLO - (Valero Energy Corp.)
Monday August 06, 2007 : 03:30 PM

VLO - (Valero Energy Corp.)
is a petroleum refining and retailing company

my understanding of that industry technology
is that their profit is derived from the "crack spread";
id est: the "cracking" the longer carbon chains of "crude"
into shorter chains resulting in more volatile products
such as gasoline

Valero technology is of above-average refining complexity,
which allows it to process large amounts of lower cost
"heavy" and "sour" crudes

the differential between crude price (materials cost),
and retail gas price (resulting product value)
defines refinery profit potential

Valero is the largest oil refiner in the U.S.
and is therefore the premier pure play is such profits

Valero is also one of the largest independent retailers
of refined products in the central and southwest U.S.
and eastern Canada

I am somewhat concerned that retail gasoline pricing
where I live (Long Island New York)
would seem to indicate a downward current trend.

I am currently, cautiously, holding some Valero stock

RIG - (Transocean Inc.)
Monday August 06, 2007 : 03:33 PM

RIG - (Transocean Inc.) is industry leader in
providing offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells

although profits in that industry have exposure to the
capital spending decisions by oil and gas producers;
with related influence from the volatile current (and future)
crude oil and natural gas prices;

although I believe that there might be a short term
"correction" to the recent uptrend in petroleum pricing;

I believe long term future trend is of increased scarcity
of such oil and gas resources, thereby resulting in continuation
of demand for such drilling services to increase supplies

current P/E of 14.56 would seem to indicate adequate earnings,
with http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=RIG reporting
expected Forward P/E (fye 31-Dec-08) of: 8.40

I feel comfortable in aquiring some stock at the current lower pricing

LCC - (US Airways)
Tuesday August 07, 2007 : 07:34 PM

LCC - (US Airways)
is the largest low cost/low fare ailine in the U.S.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_airways

on August 11, 2002 the airline entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy;

In early 2003, US Airways management liquidated the pensions of its 6,000 pilots,
sending their pensions to the federal pension program, PBGC (Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp)

US Airways is now out of bankruptcy

on May 19, 2005, US Airways Group merged (was taken over by) America West Airlines

I personally lost money investing in WorldComm

what I learned was that when a company goes through bankruptcy:
the previous stockholders lose their entire investment,
and the company emerges from bankruptcy with a lot of its assets,
but without the previous debt and obligations

PGH - (Pengrowth Energy Trust)
Tuesday August 07, 2007 : 07:37 PM

PGH - (Pengrowth Energy Trust)
is a Canadian oil and gas royalty trust

around November 2006 stock prices of such Canadian Royalty trusts plunged
when the Canadian Finance Minister announced plans to begin to tax the trusts

however, the new tax treatment will not take effect until 2011;
and as such, I consider the market sell off to have been an over-reaction;

PGH is currently paying a dividend of over 15%,

CCJ - (Cameco Corp.)
Tuesday August 07, 2007 : 07:38 PM

CCJ - (Cameco Corp.)
is a mining company focused on uranium
for sale as fuel for generating electricity in nuclear power reactors;

other then renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar,
(which are net yet economically implemented on a large scale),
it requires a source of energy such as natural gas
to produce the electricity which civilization has become accustomed to

the Cameco website has historic price charts:
http://www.cameco.com/investor_relations/ux_history/index.php
which substantiates the rather dramatic Uranium price increase

according to the Nuclear Energy Institute Policy Brief:
http://www.nei.org/filefolder/uranium_fuel_supply_adequate_0107.pdf
"The spot price of uranium has increased
1,000 percent since 2000"

even so, the same Policy Brief further explains:
"In 2005, the production cost for
nuclear generated electricity was 1.72 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh),
compared with 2.21 cents per kWh for coal,
7.51 cents for natural gas and
8.09 cents for oil."

my understanding is that less uranium is currently being mined
then is actually currently being consumed by electricity generators;

the Nuclear Energy Institute Policy Brief explains:
"World production of uranium has increased only 16 percent since 2000,
largely owing to the long lead time to develop new mines
and other fuel cycle facilities.
For example, a typical mine requires about 10 years of development
before it begins producing commercially"

"Uranium extracted from Russian nuclear warheads
is used for half of U.S. commercial reactor fuel today."

aaaahhh, the current supply is coming from
the collapse of the Soviet Union,
with the dismantling of their military arsenal;
how long can that continue to sustain?

the Nuclear Energy Institute Policy Brief also explains that
the skyrocketing price of Uranium will make it
economically feasable to develope new supplies;
(although that would seem to require
a continuation of the high Uranium price trend)

the Nuclear Energy Institute Policy Brief also notes:
"In the United States alone,
14 companies or consortia have announced plans
to file license applications for as many as
32 new nuclear power plants over the next few years."

"At 10 times the current price,
seawater might become a potential source
of vast amounts of uranium."

well, I'm placing my current investment in Comeco;
if Uranium reaches 10 times current price,
I'll re-evaluate my decision