Top Global Energy Industry Companies

David Hunkar submits: Crude oil prices continue to march higher due to geo-political risks and other factors. On the New York Mercantile Exchange March crude rose 0.1% to settle at $90.86 a barrel. Across the U.S. consumers are already feeling the impact of rising oil prices with pump prices well above $3.00 a gallon.With the economy slowly recovering, gasoline demand may increase.

In Monday's WSJ, Guy Chazan explains why energy companies are shifting their focus away from the Middle East and toward the West, and how this will have profound implications for the companies, global politics and consumers, here's an excerpt:

By Hard Assets Investor: After two-straight weeks where commodity-related exchange-traded products saw positive inflows across all asset classes, the investment tide changed course this week ending Thursday, with $425 million in net outflows.

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By The Energy Report:From the coal beds of Indonesia to oil and gas fields throughout Europe, Sam Wahab of the London-based investment firm Seymour Pierce is a master at spotting investment opportunities in the topsy-turvy world of fluctuating energy prices. In this interview with The Energy Report, he deftly defines the structural problems affecting gas and coal markets, while identifying some plays that demonstrate the savvy to come out on top.

David Hunkar submits: The 10 largest publicly-listed Russian companies based on sales for 2009 that appear in the Forbes Global 2000 list for 2010 are listed below:

David Hunkar submits: The S&P 400 MidCap Index measures the performance of U.S. mid-size companies with market caps from about $2 billion to $10 billion. The stocks in this index are selected based on market cap, liquidity and industry representation.

David Hunkar submits: The auto market in the emerging countries of China and India is growing rapidly. For example, in March of this year, GM sold more cars in China than in the U.S. Many of the major car makers of the world are investing heavily in these countries in order to gain market share. Imitating the U.S. model, China and India are promoting the growth of the automobile industry. The Financial Times recently wrote: