No. 8 PetroChina: Can't beat 'em? Join 'em

No question that PTR has the protection of big brother, and nothing will change that in the near (or distant) future, I think. China will need every source of energy to fuel its monstrous growth. Coal won't do it alone, and neither will solar. Demand for oil continues to grow, and PetroChina is the king of crude in the Middle Kingdom.


















So many islands in the PetroChina Sea. There's no other chart quite like it, though CNOOC comes close. Traders have fed like sharks on this meaty ADR. At 181, PTR is at its 100-day SMA and is far, far below its 50-day SMA. I hate to call this a buying opportunity with the oil market being as violently volatile as it is. But there are quite a few analysts who believe $100 for a barrel is more of a soon-to-be fact than fiction. Those analysts also think the price of crude will slip after hitting the $100 mark.

Either way, demand is king, and China needs oil. Did I mention Big Brother?

Pupule's Top 25 (Dec. 25)