oil and gas

Realistic expectations and an eye toward diversification will help you develop the best retirement portfolio, and give you built-in security

PRECISION DRILLING CORP. $3.47 (Toronto symbol PD; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Resource sector; Shares outstanding: 293.2 million; Market cap: $1.0 billion; Priceto- sales ratio: 0.9; Dividend suspended in March 2016; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; www.precisiondrilling....

These two companies supply products and services vital to the success of oil exploration and mining firms While they remain vulnerable to cyclical downturns, their high market share and strong reputations continue to help their profits rebound as commodity prices recover.

FINNING INTERNATIONAL INC....

These three stocks have moved sharply lower in the past few years. In Bombardier’s case, the drop is mainly due to the heavy costs to develop its new CSeries plane; for Black- Berry, it quit making smartphones due to intense competition from Apple’s iPhone and Android-powered devices; and lower oil prices have hurt Pengrowth’s cash flow as it expands key projects and pays down debt....

Activist investors have a long history of pressuring large firms to boost shareholder value by spinning off businesses and aggressively cutting costs.

For example, Nelson Peltz, through his firm Trian Partners, has now targeted two of our long-term recommendations: General Electric and Procter & Gamble....

A: Chicago Bridge & Iron N.V., $14.68, symbol CBI on New York (Shares outstanding: 101.2 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion, www.cbi.com), is a U.S.-based engineering, procurement and construction company. It specializes in projects for oil and gas firms.

The company recently plunged to an eight-year low after reporting poor results in the latest quarter and suspending its dividend.

In the three months ended June 30, 2017, Chicago Bridge’s revenue fell 40.6%, to $1.28 billion from $2.16 billion a year earlier....

ENERPLUS CORP. $11.03 (Toronto symbol ERF; Shares outstanding: 242.1 million; Market cap: $2.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Speculative; Dividend yield: 1.1%) produces oil and gas from properties in Western Canada—Alberta, Saskatchewan and B.C.—as well as North Dakota and Montana in the western U.S....

We think conservative investors can hold up to 10% of their portfolios in foreign stocks. One way to do that is by choosing exchange-traded funds (ETFs) with an overseas focus.

The best ETFs continue to offer very low management fees and well-diversified, tax-efficient portfolios of highquality stocks.

Here’s a look at four international ETFs we see as buys, and two we feel you should continue to hold.

ISHARES MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX FUND $44.86 (New York symbol EEM; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.

The fund’s geographic breakdown includes China, 28.9%; South Korea, 14.6%; Taiwan, 11.8%; India, 8.5%; Brazil, 7.3%; South Africa, 6.4%; Mexico, 3.6%; Russia, 3.1%; Indonesia, 2.3%; Malaysia, 2.2%; Thailand, 2.1%; and Poland, 1.3%.

Its top holdings are Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), 4.7%; Samsung Electronics (South Korea), 4.1%; Alibaba Group (China: e-commerce), 3.9%; Taiwan Semiconductor (computer chips), 3.5%; Naspers (South Africa: media and Internet), 2.0%; China Construction Bank, 1.5%; China Mobile, 1.4%; Hon Hai Precision (Taiwan), 1.2%; Baidu (China: Internet), 1.2%; and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, 1.1%.

iShares launched the ETF on April 7, 2003....

Toronto-Dominion Bank reported higher earnings in the latest quarter, for both its Canadian and U.S. businesses. Stronger economic growth and lower unemployment continue to lift demand for its loans. More generally, profit for banks in the U.S. and Canada tends to increase following interest rate hikes....

Clean energy stocks: strong on emotional appeal but weak on investment strength