A Guide to Environmental Stocks
| Make a Buck! Save a
Tree! A Guide to Environmental Stocks |
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Or should that be "Save a Tree! Make a Buck!" It's like the old riddle of which came first, the chicken or the egg. But it really doesn't matter.
There are a number of stocks and some mutual funds as well that appeal to some investors because they fit in with their ethical beliefs. But even for those who don't care about such things, ethical funds and stocks are worth looking at in their own right because some offer excellent opportunities.
Consider Burnaby, B.C.'s Ballard Power Systems. It is engaged in research and development of fuel cell technology - an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. And it has proved to be an amazingly lucrative investment, especially for those who got in early. It is up 300% since the beginning of the year. And it's up an amazing 1500% since January 1, 1996.
If hydrogen fueled cars become commercially viable in the next few years, Ballard stock will soar even more because of its head start over many other companies. Ballard has the backing of such major auto manufacturers as DaimlerChrysler and Ford who are also looking ahead to the future commercial viability of the product.
But Ballard is just the best known of the environmental companies. There are, in fact, quite a few others. I have compiled a stock table of around thirty such companies and you'll find it linked in the box above right.
Since we switched from looking at Internet stocks in our weekly Movers & Shakers Report to looking at all Canadian stocks over a dollar, we have found a number of environmental stocks making the top five performers.
In fact, environmentally friendly or alternative fuel companies made our top five nine times in the last nine weeks. The week ending Sept. 1st started off the sequence with a bang when three (count 'em!) three enviro stocks made the top five. Fuel Cell Technologies, the top dog, rose 112.29% that week. Resin Systems gained 83.10%. And Key Capital Group rose 58.39%.
These were followed by Sustainable Energy Technologies which went up 79.1% in the week ending Sept. 8th, Tathacus Resources which gained 515.83% in the week ending Sept. 15th, Toxin Alert which jumped 60.0% for the week ending Sept. 29th, ELI Eco Logic which gained 53.33% for the week ending Oct. 13th, Fuel Cell Technologies (again) up 38.33% the same week and Alternative Fuel Systems which soared 63.12% in the week ending Oct. 20th. (An index of previous Mover & Shaker Reports is linked in the box above right if you want to check out the capsule descriptions of these stocks.)
Ballard is one of a group of companies in what's called the alternative energy sector - a group of companies looking at alternatives to fossil fuels. These make up the largest contingent in my Enviro Stocks table with thirteen out of thirty odd stocks listed. (Two of them are listed under the "Listed on US Exchanges Only" section.)
Besides fuel cell technology, these companies are working on hydrogen generating systems to provide hydrogen to power fuel cell operated vehicles, quick charging batteries to make electric cars viable, and solid oxide and aluminum oxide fuel cells. Click on the Enviro Stocks Table link above right for short descriptions of these stocks and relevant links.
But there are other companies concerned with the environment as well. There are recyclers, soil decontaminators, toxic and hazardous waste disposal companies and even alternative power generation companies.
Next page > Continue on to More Than Just Alternative Fuel Stocks> Page 1, 2