Drive

Nearly all markets ranged from flat to just over a dime higherin post-weekend trading Monday, with most increases on either sideof a nickel. The stronger rises tended to occur mainly at westernpoints, while most of the very mild softness was at Northeastcitygates.

Convergence is going to continue in the energy industry becauseit is what customers and financial markets want; the market signalsare unmistakable, according to an industry representative and aninvestment funds manager.

Avista Energy, emphasizing people power in its drive to become anational energy marketing and technology company, has just namedsix new vice presidents, picking up talent from IllinoisPower/Illinova Energy and Enron Capital and Trade among others.

Enron likes to say about half its earnings come from businessesthat didn’t even exist five years ago. Considering the company’sresults for 1Q 1999, that bodes well for areas where the big E isjust now getting its feet wet, such as retail energy services,water, and communications.

Enron likes to say about half its earnings come from businessesthat didn’t even exist five years ago. Considering the company’sresults for 1Q 1999, that bodes well for businesses where the big Eis just now getting its feet wet, such as retail energy services,water and communications.

Hurricane hype was helping drive the screen upward Monday, andboth the hype and screen strength contributed to a wide mix of cashprices that ranged from slightly softer to as much as 20cents-plus, sources said.

One of the Gas Industry Standard Board’s (GISB) goals in thecoming year will be to drum up participation in the standardsorganization among local distribution companies, while 33 of GISB’s157 members are LDCs – making the industry segment the third mostheavily represented, behind pipelines and service providers – LDCinput into standards development could be greater, conceded GISBExecutive Director Rae McQuade.

Just like a hurricane sends offshore rig crews to shore, atempest on the stock market can drive investors to the relativesafety of utility stocks. While many energy company stock pricesare buckling under the weight of the declining market, some utilitystocks are faring rather well, thank you. Duke Energy is anexample.

Frustration with the electric restructuring process may drivePacifiCorp to sell its service areas in California and Montana -two of the seven states where the company operates. The two statesrepresent about 76,000, or 5.5%, of PacifiCorp’s 1.4 million NorthAmerican customers.