There's been a fascinating turnaround in the oil stocks in the past few days, and we are looking at the seismic rebalancing into energy that is not just being created by machines or tactical hedge funds. As oil has been drifting lower, we've found a lot of strength in energy shares, even though the general stock indexes have been exceedingly weak. Take note, traders: the time has come.
We've been exceedingly patient on oil and oil stocks and both have followed the timelines that I laid out here in columns and in my book. Two things, however, have acted on me to make a minor timeline adjustment; One, the acceleration of oil stocks to the downside in the early summer even as oil remained near $60 and the lack of rapid M+A among the shale players. Consolidation may yet come, but this can no longer be the only trigger for investment - as stocks have acted weak while oil was strong, now the stocks are beginning to rally as oil fights to remain near springtime lows.
Oil won't make significant new lows, folks. I've said that all along and still believe it. Thinking only about Canadian oil, where basis prices are already in the $20's, there's a level of ridiculousness that won't be breached. And we're finally seeing some true reality checks inside the quarterly reports just out of the mini-majors and shale producers, as well as some fundamental signs of the supply destruction yet to come.
The EIA still uses its worthless rear view mirror to put U.S. production for 2015…
There's been a fascinating turnaround in the oil stocks in the past few days, and we are looking at the seismic rebalancing into energy that is not just being created by machines or tactical hedge funds. As oil has been drifting lower, we've found a lot of strength in energy shares, even though the general stock indexes have been exceedingly weak. Take note, traders: the time has come.
We've been exceedingly patient on oil and oil stocks and both have followed the timelines that I laid out here in columns and in my book. Two things, however, have acted on me to make a minor timeline adjustment; One, the acceleration of oil stocks to the downside in the early summer even as oil remained near $60 and the lack of rapid M+A among the shale players. Consolidation may yet come, but this can no longer be the only trigger for investment - as stocks have acted weak while oil was strong, now the stocks are beginning to rally as oil fights to remain near springtime lows.
Oil won't make significant new lows, folks. I've said that all along and still believe it. Thinking only about Canadian oil, where basis prices are already in the $20's, there's a level of ridiculousness that won't be breached. And we're finally seeing some true reality checks inside the quarterly reports just out of the mini-majors and shale producers, as well as some fundamental signs of the supply destruction yet to come.
The EIA still uses its worthless rear view mirror to put U.S. production for 2015 at 650,000 barrels a day above last year. But even they predict a drop of almost half a million barrels a day in 2016. Finally, we've seen the production guidance from mini-majors like Hess (HES) and EOG Resources (EOG) drop - and these are the smartest players in the patch, no longer willing to play the arms race of core production high-grading along with efficiency gains to out produce the next guy.
Yes, break-evens are dropping in the Bakken and Eagle Ford. But what others forget is that those gains will be achieved by only the few and the very best. The smartest comments from the recent quarterlies were to be seen from the smartest player in the space, EOG CEO Bill Thomas, who not only guided for fewer completions and less production, but also opined that production would slow a lot quicker than the EIA believes.
Add that into an IEA projection of 97 million barrels a day of demand in 2017 and you've got a reason to start believing that oil and oil stocks will be the smartest place to be in 2016.
And I believe the start of that rebalancing act into energy started this week.
With the Dow off more than 400 points this week, stocks like EOG and Hess began to rally, even as oil touched $43 a barrel.
If oil stocks presaged the drop in oil in the early summer, it's a trader's instinct to believe that an unusual looking rally in oil stocks might signal a coming reversal in the commodity. And I've witnessed enough CEOs these past weeks, including the head of OPEC, finally become convinced that oil prices will be depressed for a very long time. Sorry, but those guys are not traders and are almost never right.
I've meticulously advised readers to stay away from oil and oil stocks throughout the summer - and we've been rewarded with nothing but lower prices and fewer headaches. But the time has come.
Start building positions in shale oil stocks. My favorites remain EOG resources, Cimarex (XEC) and Hess (HES). If you see EOG near $75 again, or Hess near $57 - jump.
And if you've got real courage, go long some back month crude oil too. I am going to restart my rolling long oil position I so ignominiously got stopped out of on Thanksgiving in 2014 - but was still massively profitable through the 4 years I had it on, despite the 2014 loss. Oil's about to start a very long climb.
And your patience in both is about to be rewarded.
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