When it comes to energy, it’s hard to find two countries whose interests are more conjoined than the US and China.

As I remain bullish on oil’s long-term prospects, this week’s installment of Emerging Market Speculator features energy expert Elliott H. Gue’s take on key developments in the global oil market. Mr. Gue is the editor of The Energy Strategist and MLP Profits.

At this point, oil sands production of 3.2 million barrels a day by 2020 seems more inevitable than a United Nations-brokered agreement on climate change.

It’s wise to study the lessons Jesse Livermore left us--lessons that he used to make his fortunes, lessons that, had he followed them to the end, would have made “Jesse Livermore” a household name at the time of his death.

Although most global markets performed poorly amid last year’s financial crisis, global economies didn’t follow the same path. And as credit markets began to heal this year, some countries have been far quicker to recover than others.

I’m a lot less interested in whether a company met a particular earnings projection than I am in how it’s meeting the challenges of competing in its industry or dealing with economic ups and downs.

In a market where most income-oriented groups offer near record-low yields, investors are starving for income. All MLPs offer market-beating distributions, as well as attractive tax advantages, but fight the temptation to blindly reach for the highest yields.

In a market where most income-oriented groups offer near record-low yields, investors are starving for income. All MLPs offer market-beating distributions, as well as attractive tax advantages, but fight the temptation to blindly reach for the highest yields.

We’ve been overweight staples in Personal Finance all year, and our favorites have actually beaten the S&P 500 despite the perception that they’re boring and defensive.

India’s central bank bought 200 tons of the gold from the International Monetary Fund; the US unemployment rate has broken 10 percent for the first time since 1983; and the Federal Open Market Committee is continuing to hold interest rates at or near zero. All of these factors add up to higher gold prices.