I sense we're on the verge of a mini-rally... a bear-market rally... a dead-cat bounce... a sucker's rally...
Call it what you will, but I think we'll soon see energy prices steadily climbing again.
In fact, oil's already entering a pronounced uptrend, and now we have two weeks back-to-back where it looks like the markets are doing their best "I'm not dead yet" impression... a la pick your favorite horror movie from the 80s.
So where is the best place for Green Investments to go a-huntin' in the energy sector? You have "clean coal"... you have ethanol... you have geothermal... you have solar... But for many reason, I think wind is going to be the first sector to really take flight.
Why? People can understand it, for one thing, and it's relatively cheap compared to solar. We've had windmills around for centuries, driving everything from, well, grain mills to water pumps. There's something kinda charming about windmills. Although they're quickly becoming serious business.
Along those lines, I've been looking at several companies. And one of my favorites is a company called
American Superconductor (AMSC).
This outfit doesn't make windmills. It makes the electricity-conducting parts that go inside them. And what's more, this company, with a $750 million market cap, provides the hardware that connects wind farms to the power grid.
But while it might be a good idea to pick up a few shares of this before it really takes off, we're not buying. Not yet, anyway.
Why? The fundamentals. Pure and simple. While the company posted its first annual gain in earnings last year, that was offset by significant operating losses for 2008. Of course, I'm confident that this is just part of the takeoff phase for the company, considering that its gross profits are climbing steadily... even if it's still losing money to the tune of $25.4 million last year.
Still, we'll keep an eye on American Superconductor. And I'll keep you posted as my research continues. Soon, I hope, we'll find the perfect wind power play for the Green Investments portfolio relaunch 2009.
Good day,
James