Natural Gas

Oil prices hovered below $93 a barrel Friday in Asia, pausing after the latest twists in Europe's debt crisis triggered a sharp two-week sell-off. Crude has plunged about 13% over the past two weeks.

Oil prices fell below $95 a barrel Monday in Asia amid investor concern that China's economy, the world's second-largest, is slowing faster than previously expected.

Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon resigned his post as chairman Tuesday, and will end his participation in a hugely lucrative and highly questionable investment deal 18 months early. But if you think that means he's turning over a new leaf, let's drill a little deeper ...

With less than one week until winter is officially over, Americans are celebrating the end of the season with an extra "spring" in their steps. What's got them feeling so happy? Two words: fatter wallets, thanks to warmer temperatures and lower heating costs.

The American economy is in the throes of the longest, most protracted recovery since the Great Depression. But there is an industry offering a beacon of hope, and it could soon serve as the tipping point that gets America back to work: natural gas.

The energy situation is looking pretty grim for much of the world. But here in North America? We're sitting pretty. Thanks to a boom in natural gas production from shale, and oil production from Canada's tar sands, North America will become an energy exporter over the coming decades.

Feeling the earth move under one's feet can be unsettling, even in places where it's a natural and fairly common occurrence. But far more disconcerting is when major tremors in places unaccustomed to earthquakes can be traced to human causes like fracking.

This winter's weather is forecast to be milder than last year's, but many Americans will get a cold chill when they open their heating bills. Average household spending for the season will rise for natural gas and propane, and those who use heating oil will see their highest winter bills ever.

The oil industry giants are embracing alternative technologies -- including biofuels, geothermal and solar. Right now, renewable sources provide only a tiny fraction of the profits they derive from oil and gas, but they'll have a real impact on the revenues of majors like BP, Exxon Mobil and Chevron in the not-so-distant future.

Investing is prone to manias and panics. Investors get excited as prices rise, and end up buying today what they should have bought years ago. The recent commodities sell-off reminded me of the rule I follow for commodities investing. Had you followed it, you'd have saved loads of money in 2008 and 2009 and made tons recently.