The Newest Fool Alum

XMFSmashy — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 21:48:51 GMT

As you can see from my new username, my time as a Professional Fool has come to an end -- at least for now. I published my last article on Monday.

So what am I doing now? I've accepted a consultant role with an investment firm down in Texas. I'll be hunting for val...

Slew of New Stocks

XMFSmashy — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:58:51 GMT

Hey gang,

It's been a while since I scanned the market for bulletin board dwellers with big market caps relative to assets. I did so yesterday, and had these stocks added to CAPS.

Now Here's a Headline

XMFSmashy — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 12:17:43 GMT

"Liberty Energy Provides a Corporate Update for the Quarter to September 31, 2010"

Let's hope Liberty Energy has a better grasp of the oil exploration business that it has of the Roman calendar! I started poking around this one when I got a paid promo email titled "Urgent: LBYE Shares May Quadruple on Mega-Oil Find"

This is my favorite part:

Misleading Chart of the Month

XMFSmashy — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:40:30 GMT

Check out this presentation by Angle Energy (TSX: NGL), a Canadian E&P. Please flip to slide 3.

As you probably know, natural gas is in the gutter today, while oil prices are strong. Natural gas liquids and condensate, which are more closely linked to oil prices than ga...

Drill Interval Calculator

XMFSmashy — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 09:51:27 GMT

Very cool little tool for mineral exploration investors, courtesy of Brent Cook.

Bush League Pump & Dump Continues

XMFSmashy — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 10:24:32 GMT

Back in April, we looked at the paid promotional campaign surrounding Grid Petroleum (GRPR.OB), a company purporting to have a huge prospective natural gas play out in Wyoming. The largest volume day was 4/28, with 1.3m shares traded. Not very impressive, given the $1.65 closing share price that day. Volumes dropped away, as did the share price.

...

Do You See What I See in NBR?

XMFSmashy — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 12:59:20 GMT

Goldman does, apparently.

Back in late July I wrote that land driller Nabors Industries (NYSE: NBR) has an ace in the hole, given the hidden value of its production assets in Colombia, Western Canada, and elsewhere.

Goldman has now It's called The Hidden Cleantech Revolution. I wrote it in collaboration with John A. Moore, the Chairman/CEO of Acorn Energy (Nasdaq: ACFN). It's about energy, but is less stock-focused than the material I write for fool.com. The book is aimed at energy executives, policy makers, and investors.

You can download a copy here.

It's our old friends Mesa Energy (MSEH.OB), which we nailed as a pump and dump this past spring. Here's a Sharesleuth article with many fun details.

Help me get caught up

XMFSmashy — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:39:31 GMT

Hey Fools,

I've been away for a while, plugging away at a book project (stay tuned for info on that). I will be returning to my post at Fool.com next week, bringing you the energy coverage you crave (or not).

So it looks like some stocks below the old $1.50 share price/$100M market cap limit are now fair game. What's the deal?

Toby

Learning from the Piper Alpha Accident

XMFSmashy — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:38:30 GMT

It is beyond depressing how little the industry learned from this accident in the UK North Sea in 1988. Here is the post mortem, identifying many of the same underlying causes as seen in the Macondo spill. Insufficient redundancies? Check. Misguided priorities in the management of the tradeoff between productivity and s...

What's your go-to CAPS reload?

XMFSmashy — Tue, 25 May 2010 22:49:28 GMT

I noticed that Broadwind Energy slumped to a new all-time low today. I decided to lay off the red thumb on this one a while back, and I even got my first impulse to go green (a trusted ally talked me back from the ledge), but I clearly should have stuck with this, my ol' faithful. I am 15 for 15 on this one, banking 5+ points each time.

What's your most successful repeat CAPS reload, up or down?

The Art of the Bait and Switch

XMFSmashy — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:31:58 GMT

So I was doing some due diligence on Novus Energy (TSX Venture:NVS, OTCBB: NOVUF.PK), a small Canadian oil & gas producer. There's a lot to like about the company, which is pursuing a pretty straightforward roll-up and aggressive exploitation of private land holdings in the Viking oil play in Saskatchewan. The well economics look good, as the wells, while modest in production/reserves, are very cheap to drill & complete. I expect the company to be built up to a good siz...

Get your red thumb ready!

XMFSmashy — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 23:58:23 GMT

It seems that there is a full-blown paid promotional campaign pushing the stock of Grid Petroleum, GRPR.OB. Here is one example.

This could shape up to be the next Mesa Energy (MSEH.OB) -- see my recent blog post on that stinker. Grid has purchased a natural gas prospect in Wyoming for $300,000, which chews up most of the $500,000 they raised, and now sports a market ca...

On investing in emerging growth industries

XMFSmashy — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:37:40 GMT

Here's a thought that didn't make it into my newly penned commentary on growth investing:

Competition is brutal enough in established industries. Emerging growth markets that hold out the promise of outlandish returns for the winners draw new entrants like moths to a flame. I try to keep my own money away from that flame, and suggest (perhaps in vain) that Fools do the same. Unless, of course, you have money to burn.

You Know You're An Ethically-Challenged Newsletter Writer When...

XMFSmashy — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 12:52:59 GMT

You offer to sell your subscribers a stock tip based on bogus inside information for $1,000, suggesting that they'll double their money.

Amazing that this is some of The Motley Fool's biggest competition, not some fly-by-night operation. Anyone have experience with these folks?

Mesa Energy Musings

XMFSmashy — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 16:57:03 GMT

By now, you've probably seen the takedown of Mesa Energy (MSEH.OB) by EverydayInvestor.

This one has all the trappings of a pump and dump, replete with glossy promotional mailers by a paid IR firm. These guys even somehow got themselves on TheStreet.com TV and in front of a room of stooges at the Nasdaq. I wonder how much money is left over to actually drill a well at this point? The company only topped...

Another Reason to Avoid Solar

XMFSmashy — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 13:54:19 GMT

I outlined three important ones in an article running today on Fool.com:

http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2010/03/22/3-reasons-to-avoid-solar-stocks.aspx

An obvious one that I left out is the fact that, despite receiving much more government ...

Weekend Recap

XMFSmashy — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:46:09 GMT

A Major Skirmish Over Shareholder Rights http://is.gd/apeiO 4:02 PM Mar 12th via web

This Week in Solar http://is.gd/apecB 4:02 PM Mar 12th via web

Weekend Recap

XMFSmashy — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:23:49 GMT

How Much Should You Pay Up for Potential? http://is.gd/9LwFf

Canadian Solar Faces Some Fears http://is.gd/9ItLP

Not All Oil and Gas Reserves Are Created Equal http://is....

XMFSmashy's Blog

The Newest Fool Alum

Slew of New Stocks

Now Here's a Headline

Misleading Chart of the Month

Drill Interval Calculator

Bush League Pump & Dump Continues

Do You See What I See in NBR?

Help me get caught up

Learning from the Piper Alpha Accident

What's your go-to CAPS reload?

The Art of the Bait and Switch

Get your red thumb ready!

On investing in emerging growth industries

You Know You're An Ethically-Challenged Newsletter Writer When...

Mesa Energy Musings

Another Reason to Avoid Solar

Weekend Recap

Weekend Recap