By Alex Daley and Doug Hornig, Casey Research

When the folks at a private equity firm gather at the holiday party refreshment table to talk about “vintage,” they aren’t commenting on the Château Pétrus.

The world of private equity financing doesn’t have high visibility, but it is big business behind the scenes. Unlike venture capital outfits – which provide startup money to very early-stage companies – those who play this game grab existing private companies, often through leveraged buyouts (LBOs). Each year’s investments are referred to as vintages, with some being more highly drinkable than others.

Now, some of the recent vintages look like they’ll turn out to be little more than vinegar.
Private equity investing has never been for the faint of heart. But investors continue to engage in it, because the payoff can be substantial. And for the first few years of the new millennium, it was a go-go place to be. With so much easy money sloshing around, the number of PE deals exploded, totaling over half a trillion dollars at the manic peak in ’07.

Then came the crash (read more…)

We draw to your attention an interesting report which appeared in the Daily Mail regarding the bleak future for the UK unless they spend two hundred billion pounds

Britain faces the dire prospect of blackouts and higher bills in the years ahead unless radical action is taken (read more…)

Victor Goncalves.JPG

Source: Interviewed by Karen Roche, Publisher, The Energy Report  2/4/10
http://www.theenergyreport.com/pub/na/5580

Equities and Economics Report writer Victor Gonçalves, in this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, talks with us about what he thinks “being green” means for energy. It’s more than having a smaller carbon footprint, and more about using energy efficiently. He’s enthusiastic about the prospects for rare earths, saying they are going to be a “huge phenomenon (read more…)

A recent news release from Uranerz (URZ) has helped to stimulate interest in this uranium stock as the the price has rose dramatically over the last few days (read more…)

Just a quick note in case you missed this news release form Denison Mines Corporation (TSX: DML) announces that its 2010 operating plan and budget is expected to result in the sale of 1.8 million pounds of U3O8. Operating cash flow from mining activities of $19.5 million and net cash flow of $1.0 million after the of $16.7 million on business development activities and other net cash outflows of $1.8 million, according to a recent article on Tradingmarkets.com (read more…)

Energy Secretary Steven Chu

One of our readers has alerted us to this article in The Huffington post regarding President Obama’s support for the nuclear industry which is encouraging news for investors in uranium stocks.

President Barack Obama is endorsing nuclear energy like never before, trying to win over Republicans and moderate Democrats on climate and energy legislation (read more…)

Source: Interviewed by Karen Roche, Publisher, The Energy Report 1/28/2010

Tom MacNeill, Chairman and CEO of 49 North Resources Inc. (TSX-V:FNR), is gung-ho about the prospects for Saskatchewan and the early-stage opportunities in the now-flourishing resources sector. As he tells readers in this exclusive Energy Report interview, he’s thrilled to be facilitating the inflow of investment capital to further dynamic junior resource projects in everything from oil and gas to uranium and coal (read more…)

By Marin Katusa, Senior Energy Strategist, Casey’s Energy Report

The biggest economic shift of our time is under way.

Cheap and easy oil is gone for good. And given our addiction to low-cost oil, the results are about to put the squeeze on your pocket book.

Increasing prices will have a huge effect on every aspect of your life, from the price of your food, to how much you’ll pay at the gas pump, to the cost of heating and cooling your home.

Nearly everything in our lives revolves around oil (read more…)

Khan Resources Incorporated put on $0.12 to close at $0.90 registering a gain of 15.38% which was on top of a similar gain yesterday.

On 3rd December 2009 we wrote the following: As we can see from the above chart an all cash offer of $0.65 per share could spell the end for Khan Resources Incorporated (KRI) as Russia increases the pressure to gain total control of this asset (read more…)

After rising to over $33 as we entered 2010, Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ, TSE:CCO) has undergone a significant correction, falling to nearly $28 in trading at the end of last week.

The question is: Has Cameco broken down from its uptrend over the last six months, or is this an opportunity to acquire this stock at a significant discount (read more…)