4 Stocks for the Long Haul

I own stock in each of these companies and have never sold a share. I look to add to my positions when I think the prices are cheap. This is by no means a recommendation for you to buy these stocks. I just think that the information may be useful.

1. BP – This is my favorite oil and natural gas company. I love the growth prospects for the company and the dividend is great. BP has consistently increased the dividend for as long as I have owned the stock. I even buy my gas from BP because it makes me feel like I am paying myself.

2. Nike – The swoosh dominates the athletic apparel market. Nike continues to sell athletic gear both domestically and globally while leaving its competitors in the dust. Nike hasn’t been cheap enough for me to add shares in quite some time. The recent drop in price is giving me my best buying opportunity since 2006.

3. Costco – I love the Costco business model and the growth potential. Costco offers discounted goods and services while paying employees fair wages. I think that Costco could potentially open hundreds of new stores domestically over the next decade. I must like Costco a lot considering that I have held it through the beating that retail has taken.

4. Burlington Northern – I must admit that I only found Burlington Northern because Buffett was buying the stock. Even though the stock is near its 52 week low and transports are declining; I am looking to add shares. The railroad business has been the most cost efficient way to transport basic materials for years and should continue to be so.

Time to Buy Oil

 

Crude oil is down over $100 per barrel from its highs of this past summer. Oil traded at around $150 per barrel and gas prices rose to over $4 a gallon. Oil currently trades at around $47 a barrel and gas prices are well under $2 dollars a gallon. The precipitous decline in the price of oil can be attributed to the decline in oil speculators and falling worldwide demand due to the slowing economy.

As oil prices continue to drop this may represent an attractive buying opportunity in energy related equities. Oil should bottom at around $40 a barrel. The fundamentals are in place however for oil to rise over the long term. The current cheap oil environment hurts the development of alternative energy projects. The oil market should rebound at the start of an economic recovery or any significant production cuts from OPEC. Demand for crude oil will return with economic stability and increasing the money supply should produce an inflationary environment that leads to a rise in commodity prices.

One of the easiest ways to play an expected rise in oil is to buy the United States Oil ETF(USO). USO is an exchange traded fund that directly tracks the price of crude oil. The USO is currently trading at a price of $38.50 which is very close to its all time low.

Another option is the iPath S&P Crude Oil Total Return Index(OIL) which tracks crude oil futures contracts. OIL is currently trading near its all time low at $27.52.

You could always purchase one of the major integrated oil companies like Exxon or Conoco Phillips. Exxon currently trades at $77 a share and Conoco Phillips trades around $50. These stocks still have room to drop further. Exxon looks like a buy closer to $60 and Concoco in the $40′s.

Lately television pundits and analysts have stated that oil may go as low as $25 per barrel. No one knows the exact bottom for the oil market. But if oil does hit $25 a barrel; oil should rebound off that level rather quickly. Many of the same people touting oil at $25 were saying that oil at $200 a barrel was just around the corner.