Seeking Alpha: Ur-Energy Finally Seeing That Turn?

I wasn't all that bullish on Ur-Energy (NYSEMKT:URG) six months ago, as I thought the company's positive qualities as a top-quartile U.S. uranium producer were offset by the ongoing risks in the uranium market at that time (and excessive optimism for a near-term price recovery). I didn't necessarily expect another 25% drop in Ur-Energy's share price over the following six months, though, and today's price is a lot more interesting as a play on an eventual recovery in the market. Though I'm still concerned that Japanese reactor restarts will underwhelm and that Kazatomprom is ready and waiting to increase supply on a price recovery, the combination of low-cost reserves, expansion potential, and disciplined management at Ur-Energy is getting more and more compelling.

Continue here:
Ur-Energy Finally Seeing That Turn?

Seeking Alpha: Can A White Knight Rescue Paladin Energy?

It feels as though every time investors get excited about the possibility of a renaissance for nuclear power and uranium, something happens to undermine that thesis. That has made it difficult for uranium producers like Cameco (CCJ), Denison (DNN), and Paladin Energy (OTCPK:PALAY) (PDN.TO) (PDN.AX).

The Fukushima Daiichi accident has had some profound effects on the nuclear power and uranium industries, prompting several European countries to swear off nuclear power, forcing a re-examination of nuclear power in Japan and the U.S., and sending uranium spot prices plunging from over $70 to $34 a pound. Few uranium producers can operate profitably at these levels, and it has sapped the energy from what was supposed to be a great production growth story for Paladin.

I do believe that Paladin Energy will survive. The company has made progress on cost-cutting and it sounds as though the sale of a minority interest in the Langer Heinrich mine could generate some much-needed cash. The trouble I have, though, is divining the difference between surviving and thriving. While I think logic favors the construction of more nuclear plants, the arguments about nuclear power are never just about logic. What's more, Paladin doesn't have an unlimited amount of time to wait for the market to improve. Uranium/nuclear power bulls may be looking at a bargain here, but that undervaluation carries a lot of risk with it that is beyond management's control.

Please continue here:
Can A White Knight Rescue Paladin Energy?

Investopedia: Is Europe Abandoning The Atom?

With news out of Switzerland and Germany last week, it looks as though the long-term energy picture in Europe is changing in a hurry. Germany and Switzerland, two of the world's largest economies, have both announced plans to completely phase out nuclear power as an electricity source, leaving the question of how these countries will fill the power gap without choking off their economies. 


Not surprisingly, solar and wind power stocks rose on the news, but only time will tell if the companies in these markets can increase their efficiency fast enough to become viable cornerstone sources of power. In the meantime, the decisions in Germany and Switzerland are likely to ripple through the power generation market for years to come.

The Scale of the Decision
In relatively short order, both Switzerland and Germany have decided to abandon nuclear power as an ongoing source of electricity. While nuclear power has been a touchy subject throughout most of Europe for some time (especially after the Chernobyl disaster), protests accelerated in the wake of Japan's combined natural disasters and TEPCO's inability to avert serious problems at the Fukushima facility. 



To read the full piece, please continue below:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Is-Europe-Abandoning-The-Atom-FSLR-KYO-STP-AMSC-SI0606.aspx

Investopedia: Nuclear Energy - The Emotion Trade Is In Full Swing

There are plenty of old sayings that advise investors to swim against the tide and invest into troubled sectors when pessimism is at its worst. That is all well and good, but precious few investors have the self-confidence and long-term focus to just ignore a 20% or 30% near-term loss on a new position. With that in mind, then, investors should certainly do their due diligence on now-troubled nuclear power stocks but let the dust settle a bit before taking on new positions.

Shoot First, Ask Questions Later
In the wake of the combined earthquake and tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan, and the resulting emergencies at multiple nuclear facilities in Japan, public fear about nuclear power is once again running high. With activists already jumping on their airwaves to exaggerate and misinform, it seems inevitable that the nuclear industry has lost whatever momentum and credibility it had rebuilt in the 25 years since the Chernobyl disaster.

Investors need go no further than the stocks of those companies exposed to the nuclear power industry. Go-to names like uranium miners Cameco (NYSE:CCJ) and Denison (AMEX: DNN) and engineering and construction firm Shaw (Nasdaq:SHAW) were among those that took a significant drop in the early trading after the disaster struck. Since then, even well-diversified names like General Electric (NYSE:GE) (which has some, but not a lot, of nuclear energy exposure) have come under selling pressure.

Please continue:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Nuclear-Energy---The-Emotion-Trade-Is-In-Full-Swing-CCJ-DNN-SHAW-EXC-GE-JASO-ES0317.aspx