Getting Pumped Over Oil and Gas as an Investment

Former investment manager and Barron's Roundtable member Marc Perkins made a great point in his Streetside Chat with me when he talked about how the "serious" money is made in the stock market: "By recognizing changes and significant trends and holding on."

What significant new trend could make you serious money? The common answers today: broadband or wireless. But let me suggest another -- oil and gas exploration and production companies.

Don't laugh. Some of these stocks have more momentum than many tech names; these companies should all crush Wall Street earnings estimates. Most importantly, they trade as if oil prices will soon return to the $18 to $22 per-barrel range and natural gas prices return to the $2.50 per-thousand-cubic-feet range. (Today, oil traded in the $35 range and natural gas in the $5 million cubic feet range.) ...