Iran as a Counter Balance to Gazprom’s Energy Power
May 7th, 2008
Robert Amsterdam (one of our favorite blogger analysts) recently offered interesting insight into the geopolitical importance of Iran in terms of EU energy security vis-à -vis Gazprom’s dominant position, and why Iran can be considered as a Gazprom monopoly “killer”. As the article notes, this may have impacted Russia’s actions during the major powers’ recent meeting […]
Read more »Frontier Investing
May 7th, 2008
While we’ve been following this topic for some time, popular financial columnist Jane Bryant Quinn recently noted that investing in emerging markets isn’t optional anymore. Globalization means that countries once thought of as marginal are central to any smart investment plan. As the article states: “…Who’s on the frontier? Ukraine, Cyprus, Estonia, Kuwait, the United […]
Read more »Gazprom, Libya, and Possibility of a Gas OPEC
May 7th, 2008
Via Robert Amsterdam, a very insightful look into recent activities by Gazprom, Libya, and possibility of a Gas OPEC. While some analysts have been skeptical about a possible gas cartel given the regional markets aspect of natural gas (which means that prices on the spot market could never be manipulated by production quotas as they […]
Read more »Chavez “Oils” Venezuela’s Ties with China, But At A Cost
May 7th, 2008
Via Stratfor (subscription required), very interesting analysis of PetroChina’s deal with Venezuelan oil company Petroleos de Venezuela to build a 400,000 barrels per day refinery in China’s Guangdong province designed to process Venezuelan bitumen oil (extremely heavy, sour oil) into orimulsion, a fuel developed and patented by PDVSA. The deal allows Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez […]
Read more »The New Silk (Rail)Road
April 4th, 2008
An interesting article in Windows on Eurasia, analyzing how two enormous railroad projects – one going north-south between Iran, Russia and Azerbaijan, and a second backed by the West going east-west between Europe and Central Asia – may play an even larger role than oil in defining the geopolitics of Eurasia. As the article notes: […]
Read more »If Not Decoupling, Perhaps Less Coupling…?
April 2nd, 2008
Via The Financial Times, interesting analysis by Mark Mobius as to whether or not the US recession will hinder emerging market stocks. As the article notes: “…there is strong dissonance between what is happening in emerging markets and the frightening subprime news coming out of the US and UK markets …Emerging markets this year are […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.