This natural resource is trading below "end of the world" prices

If these companies can simply return to their median price-to-book, we will see 48% gains from today's price In the past seven weeks, stocks are up 7%. But major U.S. companies in one sector are down an average of 19%. The sector is now cheaper than it was during the "Great Recession." At today's prices, the market expects worse than the end of the world. If things simply get "less bad," we could make a quick 48% return over the next 12-18 months. Let me explain... Right now, investors HATE coal. And for good reason... According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, coal-based electricity generation fell 21% in 2011. Electricity generation accounts for 93% of U.S. coal consumption. That puts current coal demand at a new 35-year low. Falling demand is pushing prices down. The price of "thermal" coal – the kind that utilities use to generate electricity – is down nearly 20% since October. What's to blame for the fall? The easy answer is natural gas... Natural gas prices have cratered in the past year... falling 50%. Natural gas is now dirt-cheap. So many utility companies are switching from coal to natural gas. Continue reading this article

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