Thing

The “desperation” by utilities to consolidate, mutate or get outof the business altogether is a good thing, said utilities analystDaniel Ford of ABN AMRO, because this fear is where most of thestock values are now being created. Ford, a keynote speaker at lastweek’s PowerMart 2000 in Houston, called investors a “ficklebunch,” but added they are sticking with utility stocks.

The “desperation” by utilities to consolidate, mutate or get outof the business altogether is a good thing, said utilities analystDaniel Ford of ABN AMRO, because this fear is where most of thestock values are now being created. Ford, a keynote speaker atPowerMart 2000 in Houston, called investors a “fickle bunch,” butadded they are sticking with utility stocks.

Although price probably will be the most important factorinfluencing energy decisions after this winter, it is the otherthings, such as reliability and customer service, that so far havedetermined the winners and losers in the gas sales business,according to a new survey by RKS Research & Consulting.

Although price probably will be the most important factorinfluencing energy decisions after this winter, it is the otherthings, such as reliability and customer service, that so far havedetermined the winners and losers in the gas sales business,according to a new survey by RKS Research & Consulting.

The closest thing to a production threat that the Gulf of Mexicohas had so far this year failed to cause any ripples in cash pricesMonday. Eastern quotes ranged from barely higher to about a nickeldown, while western numbers reacted mostly to renewed heat waves inCalifornia and the desert Southwest, in ranging from flat to abouta dime higher.

Reducing paperwork and maybe even saving money in the federalgovernment? How can this not be a good thing?

A funny thing happened on the way to the FERC last week: prospective Independence and SupplyLink shipper Duke Energy defected, but Dynegy quickly filled in the gap as the proposed new long-haul projects re-formed their ranks and marched toward this week’s open meeting.

A funny thing happened on the way to the FERC: prospectiveshipper Duke Energy defected, but Dynegy quickly filled in the gapas the proposed new long-haul Independence and Supplylink pipelineprojects re-formed their ranks and marched toward this week’s openmeeting.

Incremental prices for the last day of March, finding little tono support from any direction, did the natural thing: they fell byanywhere from about a nickel to more than a dime. April bidweeknumbers also slid a bit further.