Energy stocks were slammed Wednesday as U.S. oil prices plunged to their lowest levels since December 2021. The extent of the decline in West Texas Intermediate crude — down 5.5% to under $67 per barrel — seems overdone in an energy market that remains structurally undersupplied. However, we’re not ready to step in right here to try to catch a falling knife — recognizing concerns over whether fallout from global banking troubles will curtail economic growth. Lower energy costs, at the same time, help other sectors of the stock market. Bad for energy stocks For now, we’re holding onto our three oil exploration and production (E & P) stocks — Coterra Energy (CTRA), Devon Energy (DVN) and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) — because their breakeven levels are around $40 per barrel. They can still make money with WTI in the mid-$60s, not to mention they have some of the highest annual dividend yields in the market. The E & Ps are in the blast zone and lower commodity prices will cause producers to think twice about additional investments in production. So, directionally, the move in oilfield services giant Halliburton (HAL) makes sense as well, though we think the drop is overdone given the world does remain structurally undersupplied and needs Halliburton’s services to increase production to level more in line with long-term demand. WTI hit a session low of $65.65 per barrel around 1 p.m. ET. The big question is whether the federal government will make good on its signals to replenish the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) at WTI prices below $70 per barrel. Back in the summer, months after Russia invaded Ukraine, Washington tapped the SPR in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure that sky-high prices at the gasoline pumps placed on consumers. As a result, the SPR has fallen to its lowest levels in decades. @CL.1 YTD mountain WTI performance YTD If the Biden administration were to start buying crude and create something of a floor in the market, that would serve to protect profits at our E & Ps. Any new production at more stabilized levels and/or money for crude and natural gas infrastructure that’s suffered from years of underinvestment would benefit oilfield services giant Halliburton. Good for other sectors While Wednesday’s action is obviously painful for our energy holdings, it highlights the need to maintain a diversified portfolio with exposure to many different sectors and end markets. In addition to lower energy prices being welcome news for the government, it’s a welcome development for companies outside of the energy complex and American consumers who drive two-thirds of U.S. economic activity. Energy is not exactly a consumer staple, but it’s certainly not something we can live without. Regardless of cost, consumers must still fill up their cars or heat their homes. In turn, higher energy costs eat into discretionary spending budgets. On the corporate side, energy oftentimes represents a large input cost. Take Club holding Amazon (AMZN), for example. In addition to the fuel used to get packages to your door on the e-commerce side of its business, the tech giant has previously cited elevated energy costs as a headwind to its Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud margins. We saw a similar impact on Microsoft ‘s (MSFT) Azure cloud business. Consider a name like Club holding Procter & Gamble (PG). The company’s household products are things people have to use every day. We heard all year long in 2022 about freight and commodity costs impacting margins. As a result, P & G management raised prices. Now, with energy costs coming down, we would expect these input costs to subside a bit. Price hikes, however, will prove sticker than input costs, which should lead to some margin expansion for this best-in-class consumer staple. Bottom line So, what hurts our energy holdings, helps other sectors of the market and other parts of our portfolio. However, with problems at Credit Suisse (CS) dominating Wednesday’s headlines, that may not be much comfort. Everything is taking a hit. But, if we step back and think through what this move means for consumer demand and corporate margins in other sectors, we can be more constructive on Wednesday’s broad stock market decline and search for opportunities. Take a more fundamental view and target those names that stand to benefit from the decline in energy prices freeing up more discretionary income, such as off-price retailer TJX Companies (TJX), shares of which we just picked up earlier in the day. In the afternoon, we used dislocations in markets to buy more Caterpillar (CAT) shares for the second straight day. If we think through the way in which money can be allocated in a lower energy price world, we see reasons to be positive about the move. Even if it hurts a portion of our portfolio in the short term, our commitment to a diversified portfolio can help pick up the slack and help weather the storm. (Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust is long CTRA, DVN, PXD, HAL, AMZN, MSFT, PG, TJX, CAT. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . 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Drilling rigs sit unused on a companies lot located in the Permian Basin area on March 13, 2022 in Odessa, Texas.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Energy stocks were slammed Wednesday as U.S. oil prices plunged to their lowest levels since December 2021. The extent of the decline in West Texas Intermediate crude — down 5.5% to under $67 per barrel — seems overdone in an energy market that remains structurally undersupplied.
China just laid out a plan to roll out over 100,000 ultra-fast EV charging stations by 2027 – and they’ll all be open to the public.
The National Development and Reform Commission’s (NDRC) joint notice, issued on Monday, asks local authorities to put together construction plans for highway service areas and prioritize the ones that see 40% or more usage during holiday travel rushes.
The NDRC notes that China’s ultra-fast EV charging infrastructure needs upgrading as more 800V EVs hit the road. Those high-voltage platforms can handle super-fast charging in as little as 10 to 30 minutes, but only if the charging hardware is up to speed.
China had 31.4 million EVs on the road at the end of 2024 – nearly 9% of the country’s total vehicle fleet. But charging access is still catching up. As of May 2025, there were 14.4 million charging points, or roughly 1 for every 2.2 EVs.
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To keep the grid running smoothly, China wants new chargers to be smart, with dynamic pricing to incentivize off-peak charging and solar and storage to power the charging stations.
To make the business side work, the government is pushing for 10-year leases for charging station operators, and it’s backing the buildout with local government bonds.
The NDRC emphasized that the DC fast chargers built will be open to the public. This is a big deal because a lot of fast chargers in China aren’t. For example, BYD’s new megawatt chargers aren’t open to third-party vehicles.
As of September 2024, China had expanded its charging infrastructure to 11.4 million EV chargers, but only 3.3 million were public.
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A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as “Main Justice,” is seen behind the podium in the Department’s headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Federal prosecutors have charged two men in connection with a sprawling cryptocurrency investment scheme that defrauded victims out of more than $650 million.
The indictment, unsealed in the District of Puerto Rico, accuses Michael Shannon Sims, 48, of Georgia and Florida, and Juan Carlos Reynoso, 57, of New Jersey and Florida, of operating and promoting OmegaPro, an international crypto multi-level marketing scheme that promised investors 300% returns over 16 months through foreign exchange trading.
“This case exposes the ruthless reality of modern financial crime,” said the Internal Revenue Service’s Chief of Criminal Investigations Guy Ficco. “OmegaPro promised financial freedom but delivered financial ruin.”
From 2019 to 2023, Sims, Reynoso and their co-conspirators allegedly lured thousands of victims worldwide to purchase “investment packages” using cryptocurrency, falsely claiming the funds would be safely managed by elite forex traders, the Department of Justice said.
Prosecutors said the pair flaunted their wealth through social media and extravagant events — including projecting the OmegaPro logo onto the Burj Khalifa, Dubai’s tallest building — to convince investors the operation was legitimate.
A video posted to the company’s LinkedIn page shows guests in evening attire posing for photos and watching the spectacle in Dubai.
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In reality, authorities allege, OmegaPro was a pyramid-style fraud.
When the company later claimed it had suffered a hack, the defendants told victims they had transferred their funds to a new platform called Broker Group, the DOJ said. Users were never able to withdraw their money from either platform.
The two men face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, each carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The Justice Department, FBI, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations led the multiagency investigation, with help from international partners.
Tesla is starting to experience some consequences for misleading Full Self Driving customers – at least that’s the finding of one arbitration ruling that has Tesla refunding one customer $10,000 plus legal fees for failing to deliver on their promises. Find out more on today’s legally challenging episode of Quick Charge!
An arbitration “court” found that Tesla misled customers with its Full Self Driving product, and has now been forced to refund at least one person’s $10,000 payment (plus legal fees) for the not-quite autonomous driving software. France, too, is piling on claims of deceptive business practices – but there’s some good news for FSD fans! If you’re still willing to pay for it, Tesla will thrown in 0% financing on a brand new Cybertruck.
Check out the relevant links, below, to learn more.
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If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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