Resource and commodity stocks in general should make up only a limited portion of your portfolio—say less than 20% for a conservative investor or as much as 30% for an aggressive investor. And as part of that segment, energy stocks could make up, say half of that total. The rest could be fertilizer stocks, mining stocks and so on.
Oil and gas stocks have been below-average performers lately, and many investors are tempted to get out of the industry altogether. However, the energy sector can play a crucial role in your portfolio as a hedge against inflation. The low inflation rates of the past couple of decades deserve some of the blame for the poor performance of the sector. However, energy stocks will likely rebound in years to come as the global economy recovers.
- Invest mainly in well-established companies;
- Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; Consumer; Finance; Utilities);
- Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.
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The company recently sold its Pelican Lake heavy oil operations in northern Alberta to Canadian Natural Resources Ltd....
Under the deal, Trilogy shareholders got 0.267 of a Paramount share for each Trilogy share they owned.
Over the last two years, Paramount has sold assets worth more than $2.5 billion and paid off all of its debt.
The company has now expanded, through both the Trilogy takeover and its recent purchase of Apache Canada Ltd....
The company has sold off non-core assets to focus on its low-risk, high-return properties....
We continue to recommend all investors hang on to their high-quality oil producers such as the four we analyze below....