Free Republic

The United States Oil ETF (NYSE: USO) traded higher by 2.4% on Tuesday after President Joe Biden announced he will be releasing oil from U.S. strategic reserves in an attempt to lower global gasoline prices. What Happened? The White House said Tuesday the U.S. will release 50 million barrels of crude oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The decision is part of a coordinated effort with China, Japan and other energy consuming nations to combat a rapid rise in energy prices. U.S. gasoline prices are currently near seven-year highs. Why It’s Important: The coordinated oil release includes U.S., India, China,...

This is what the bears don’t get about oil stocks: These are no longer the reckless, wasteful, binge years of the shale boom. The smart companies have adapted to a new reality. close [x] Pause Unmute Remaining Time -1:33 Fullscreen Now, it’s about dramatic new offshore discoveries that are being brought online in record speed. It’s about brilliant new well-completion designs that enhance productivity. It’s about integrated giants who win, either way. It’s about extremely ambitious small-caps that slip into new venues and scoop up massive basins when no one’s looking. It’s about ingenuity on multiple levels that translates into...

Aquarius’s new take on internal combustion engines will be the big leap forward that vehicles need, says company founder. The notoriously conservative car business – autos, after all, are still largely powered by the internal combustion engine, developed nearly 150 years ago – is in for big changes, according to Gal Fridman, chief marketing officer and co-founder of Aquarius Engines. “Our enhanced engine design uses energy much more efficiently, and eliminates the valves and rods that cause energy loss,” he said. “If a car equipped with a modern standard internal combustion engine can go about 600 kilometers on a tank...

Firms sell more shares at lower prices, deepening pain for stockholders ___ Energy companies tapping the stock market to fill their coffers are deepening the pain for shareholders. These firms have come to rely on selling new shares to pay down debt and keep rigs drilling. The further commodity prices and energy stocks slid, the more shares that companies have had to sell at ever lower prices to raise the desired proceeds. This has further diluted the stakes held by existing shareholders, who are already suffering from falling share prices. The cash injections haven’t guaranteed stability for the companies selling...

2011 saw huge advances in solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, and these advancements will continue into 2012. In fact 2012 could be the year that renewable energy sources start to seriously compete with traditional fossil fuels, at least that is the hope in the battle to reduce carbon emissions and our dependence on dwindling oil stocks. However a major problem with renewable energy sources is that they can rarely provide consistent power levels, due to a myriad of factors outside of human control. Eric Wesoff, an industry analyst with Greentech Media, explains that, “A wind farm only works...