As the cooler weather seeps in, energy stocks look hot!

Many analysts and investors believe that energy prices, specifically natural gas prices, may be heading toward an attractive upswing in the first half of 2004. Demand for natural gas from power plants and US residential customers has grown by close to one percent a year for the past four years and is climbing higher due to extreme frigid temperatures in the north eastern regions of the US.

Specifically the cold weather drove wholesale natural gas prices in New York to their highest levels ever, as businesses and homeowners went to the thermostat to fight off the frigid air and chill

Not only are the cold temperatures fuelling demand for natural gas, but also the recovery in the economy could be dampened by demand for natural gas and oil in the United States and Canada.

High natural gas prices could force individuals and businesses to spend less in the broad economy as they are forced to cover unattractive energy bills. Price increases already are hitting industrial companies, which account for more than 40 percent of natural gas consumption.

Although this fear is duly noted and the concerns have been expressed and digested by many analysts and politicians, companies that deal in natural gas continue to excel, for example Apache Energy (APA) which trades on the NYSE has performed exceptionally well over the past year.

Apache Corporation, which has executed a two for one stock split this past week, is a leading independent oil and gas company with core operations in the United States, Canada, Egypt, the United Kingdom North Sea and Western Australia.

Over the last six months the company has been appreciated close to 25 percent. More recently this company declared regular cash dividends on the company's common shares. The dividend on the common shares is payable on February 23, 2004, to shareholders of record on January 22, 2004, at the rate of six cents per share.

Natural gas accounts for almost a quarter of the US energy needs, and is considered a cleaner burning alternative to coal and oil.