Hi Leigh;
Here is a great article from the Globe that paints an extremely rosy picture for an intense and extended bull market in the share values of Canadian Energy companies.
This one is definitely worth the read.
Len
Canadian Energy Stocks Rise With Oil And Gas Prices
By Dann Rogers
CALGARY (Reuters) - Soaring natural gas and oil prices have set the stage for a run-up in share values of Canadian energy companies -- a bull market that could continue for up to 18 months, industry executives said Thursday.
With natural gas prices at record highs and the price of crude topping $30 a barrel the Toronto Stock Exchange's oil and gas subindex climbed 79.79 points to 7841.11 Thursday, a level not seen since Oct. 16, 1997.
Leading the charge were larger producers weighted heavily toward gas production, such as Anderson Exploration Ltd., up C$1.25 to a 52-week high of C$27.50, and Canadian Hunter Exploration Ltd., which rose C$1.70 to C$33.75, also a high for the year.
``These shares still have a long way to go,' said Peter Linder, an industry analyst with Harris Partners in Calgary. ''We're only in the fourth inning of a ball game that could go into extra innings.''
His favorite stock of the moment is Anderson, which he forecasts will rise to C$45 a share within the year.
The bullish outlook for the sector isn't restricted to analysts working for brokerage firms that profit from the buying and selling of energy stocks.
Mutual fund managers share the view that the sector is still in the early stages of a bull market.
``A lot of the analysts are saying these stocks could rise 50 percent in the next year, I think it could be even more,'' said Joseph Schachter of Schachter Asset Management Inc. ``I've been buying Canadian energy stocks for the last couple of days.''
Canada's oil patch went into the doldrums in October of last year as investors embraced Internet and high-tech issues. But the return in vogue of value investing, coupled with pledges by the world's largest oil producers to attempt to stabilize crude prices in early April, has pushed up the oil and gas index by 25 percent over the past six weeks.
And, while oil prices continue to creep back up to their post-Gulf War highs -- U.S. benchmark prices rose 88 cents a barrel to $30.25 late Thursday -- natural gas prices are at record highs and rising, amid fears of supply shortages next winter.
Gas for sale in the day-to-day market at Alberta's key AECO storage hub rose 25 Canadian cents per gigajoule Thursday to C$4.45 per gigajoule -- double what it was a year ago.
For those willing to lock into longer-term contracts, gas for delivery next winter was selling for more than C$5 per gigajoule.
``It's definitely the pricing of commodities that's fueling this market,'' said Ken Faircloth who analyzes smaller oil and gas firms for brokerage Goepel McDermid.
``A few weeks ago, most analysts were forecasting share prices based on oil being at an average price of $25 a barrel and gas at C$3.50 per gigajoule. Now, oil is expected to be at about $26.50 to $28 a barrel and gas is moving up every day, and could be as much as C$5.''
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