oil and gas

Chinese stocks are down roughly 14% since March 2012. That’s largely because slow growth in the U.S. and Europe is hurting China’s export-driven economy. Still, China’s growth rate could reach 8% this year, and its long-term outlook is positive. Here are two Chinese exchange traded fund (ETF) recommendations. One invests in all publicly traded Chinese stocks available to foreign investors. The other holds small cap Chinese stocks. SPDR S&P CHINA ETF $63.27 (New York Exchange symbol GXC; buy or sell through brokers; www.spdrs.com) is an exchange traded fund that aims to track the S&P China BMI Index, which is made up of all the publicly traded Chinese stocks that are available to foreign investors. Right now, SPDR S&P China ETF holds 184 stocks....

Natural gas prices recently dropped below $2 U.S. per thousand cubic feet, a 10-year low. That’s mainly because of new shale gas discoveries. Prices have since moved up to $3.16, but still well below last year’s high of almost $5. Oil prices have weakened, as well. They are now down 18%, from $109 a barrel in February to $89 today. Oil prices will continue to vary, while gas prices will likely recover. Meanwhile. the long-term outlook for both of these stocks is positive. CRESCENT POINT ENERGY CORP. $39.62 (Toronto symbol CPG; Shares outstanding: 329.1 million; Market cap: $13.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 7.0%; www.crescentpointenergy.com) produces oil and natural gas in western Canada. Its production is weighted 91% toward oil and 9% to gas....

Emerging markets continue to have sound longterm outlooks. A good way to profit from their growth with less risk is through low-fee exchange traded funds (ETFs). Here are two we see as buys. ISHARES S&P INDIA NIFTY 50 INDEX FUND $21.48 (Nasdaq symbol INDY; buy or sell through brokers; us.ishares.com) is an ETF that aims to track the S&P CNX Nifty Index, which represents the 50 largest, most liquid Indian securities. The fund’s top holdings are ITC Ltd. (conglomerate), 8.6%; Reliance Industries Ltd. (conglomerate), 7.5%; ICICI Bank, 6.9%; HDFC Bank, 6.6%; Infosys Technologies (software), 6.6%; Housing Development Finance, 6.3%; Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (conglomerate), 4.5%; Tata Consultancy Services (information technology), 3.9%; and State Bank of India, 3.3%....

LOBLAW CO. $32.56 (Toronto symbol L; Shares outstanding: 281.4 million; Market cap: $9.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.6%; www.loblaw.ca) starting selling its popular Joe Fresh clothing and accessories in its supermarkets in 2006. It has also opened 12 stand-alone Joe Fresh stores in Canada and six in the U.S. Loblaw has formed a new partnership with J.C. Penney (New York symbol JCP). Under this deal, Loblaw will build Joe Fresh boutiques in 700 of Penney’s 1,100 U.S. department stores. (J.C. Penney is a recommendation of Wall Street Stock Forecaster, our newsletter that focuses on U.S. stocks.) These outlets should open in April 2013. Penney will also sell Joe Fresh products through its website. Loblaw is a buy....

FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS, $377.99, symbol FFH on Toronto, has increased its stake in Research in Motion, symbol RIM on Toronto. The company now owns 9.9% of RIM, up from 5.12%. RIM is a recommendation of our Successful Investor newsletter. Fairfax is now RIM’s largest shareholder. The company’s chairman and founder, Prem Watsa, is also on RIM’s board of directors. RIM’s revenue fell 42.7% in the latest quarter. That’s largely because customers are waiting for the company to launch updated phones that use its new BlackBerry 10 software. However, RIM has now delayed these devices to early 2013. As a result, they will miss the busy back-to-school and Christmas shopping seasons....

GENERAL ELECTRIC CO. $20 (New York symbol GE; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 10.6 billion; Market cap: $212.0 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.5; Dividend yield: 3.4%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.ge.com) plans to split its energy-products division into three new businesses: GE Power and Water (turbines, generators); GE Oil and Gas (products for onshore and offshore energy producers); and GE Energy Management (power-transmission equipment). This reorganization should make it easier for these new divisions to take advantage of new opportunities. It should also save GE $200 million to $300 million by 2014. To put these savings in context, GE earned $4.0 billion in the three months ended June 30, 2012. That’s up 6.9% from $3.75 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share rose 11.8%, to $0.38 from $0.34, on fewer shares outstanding. Revenue rose 2.5%, to $36.5 billion from $35.6 billion....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $74 (Toronto symbol CP; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 170.9 million; Market cap: $12.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 2.3; Dividend yield: 1.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; www.cpr.ca) has signed a long-term deal with U.S. Silica Holdings Inc. (New York symbol SLCA), a leading maker of specialized sand.

Oil and gas exploration companies pump this sand, along with water and other chemicals, into shale rock formations. This fractures the rock and releases the oil and gas.

Under the terms of this multi-year deal, Silica will use CP trains to ship sand from its new Sparta, Wisconsin facility to its customers. CP did not say how much this deal is worth, but it should help the company profit from rising production of shale oil in the Bakken area, which covers parts of Montana, North Dakota and Saskatchewan.

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PRECISION DRILLING CORP. $6.85 (Toronto symbol PD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resource sector; Shares outstanding: 276.3 million; Market cap: $1.9 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.9; No dividends paid since February 2009; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.precisiondrilling.com) provides contract-drilling services to land-based oil and gas producers in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. It had 344 rigs in service as of March 31, 2012.

The stock is down 45.6% from its recent peak of $12.60 in March 2012. That’s due to fears that falling oil and natural gas prices will hurt demand for Precision’s rigs. However, the company operates under long-term contracts that help shield it from volatile oil and gas prices. It has 122 rigs under contract in 2012 and 79 in 2013.

Precision can also conserve cash by putting off building new rigs if demand weakens. That’s why it recently cut its 2012 capital expenditures to $975 million from its earlier forecast of $1.1 billion.

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Poseidon Concepts Corp., $13.92, symbol PSN on Toronto (Shares outstanding: 81.1 million; Market cap: $1.1 billion; www.poseidonconcepts.com), rents its fluid-handling tanks to over 100 customers in the oil and natural gas industry. About 80% of the company’s contracts are with oil exploration firms. On November 1, 2011, Open Range Energy Corp. changed its name to Poseidon Concepts after it handed out shares of its oil and gas production interests to its shareholders. This new company retained the Open Range Energy name and Toronto symbol ONR. Poseidon kept the tank rental business and began trading on Toronto under the symbol PSN. Shale oil and gas producers rent Poseidon’s tanks to hold fracturing fluid, which they use to break apart the rock and release the oil and gas....

CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD., $75.49, Toronto symbol CP, has formed a partnership with Smart Sand Inc., a private company that sells sand to oil and gas producers. These clients pump this sand, along with water and other chemicals, into shale rock formations. This fractures the rock and releases the oil and gas. Under the deal, CP and Smart Sand will build a new facility in North Dakota that will load the sand onto CP’s trains. From there, CP will deliver the sand to Smart Sand’s customers in the Williston Basin, which covers parts of North and South Dakota, Montana and Saskatchewan. CP did not say how much this new facility would cost, but it should begin operating in early 2013....