Oil prices hovered below $86 a barrel Monday Feb.14, 2011 in Asia as traders eye inflation and consumer demand numbers for signs higher commodity prices could be undermining global economic growth.

Benchmark crude for March delivery was down 5 cents at $85.53 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.15 to settle at $85.58 on Friday. Read more »

The Barnett Shale natural gas field in Denton and Wise counties is one of five finalists to be a case study as part of the Environmental Protection Agency's examination of hydraulic fracturing.

In addition, the Flower Mound/Bartonville area in southern Denton County is one of four candidates for a separate case study that would be part of the EPA project, which will be completed in late 2012 at the earliest.

The choices for potential case studies are cited in a 140-page draft plan released Tuesday Feb8. 2011. Read more »

Considering the state of the mineral rights market right now there has never been a better time to sell mineral rights. The systems that have been established over the years have made the whole process one that is easier to complete.

Why Indulge In Property Investments? Properties are tangible assets that have been known to appreciate reliably over a period of time. Investment in property can lead to revenues through rental incomes and capital appreciation on sale of the property. There may be tax benefits associated with property investments. Read more »

Oil giant BP announced its first annual loss for nearly two decades on Saturday Feb. 5, 2011, dragged down by a whopping US$41 billion ($54 billion) charge to pay for the Gulf of Mexico disaster last year which unleashed the worst offshore oil spill in history.

Despite fourth-quarter profits of US$4.4 billion, the company recorded an annual loss of US$4.6 billion, compared with profits of US$14 billion in 2009. Read more »