USEC: Going nuclear

Can you add more of your own analysis here? We have to be careful about just kind of paraphrasing other people's stuff.

"We're going nuclear," says Mark Skousen. The editor of the premium Hedge Fund Trader newsletter notes that since 1985, demand for uranium has outstripped supply by 139%."

The advisor adds, "Now is an excellent time to add USEC Inc. (NYSE: USU) – which supplies low-enriched uranium for commercial power plants worldwide -- to your hedge portfolio." Here's his analysis.

Despite increased demand and limited supply, he says, very little has been done to correct the world's capacity to create more uranium. He notes, "That situation has driven spot prices sharply higher."

Skousen adds, "In addition, spot prices are likely to rise. Nuclear energy now supplies a full 16% of the world's total power. That number is expected to grow by leaps and bounds, as petroleum-based economies continue to seek lower-priced alternatives to oil.

Further, he notes, "An estimated 440 power plants in 30 countries now depend on uranium to run steel plants, auto assembly lines, mass transportation and thousands of factories.

China's current plans, he observes, call for building more than 29 new reactors to fuel the country's explosive growth. And, he adds, worldwide, 69 new nuclear reactors are already under construction or will be completed within the next 10 years. All this, he says, will require massive amounts of uranium to operate.

Domestically, he notes that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission just recently issued a construction and operating license for USEC's American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio. The license, he points out, is good for 30 years.

Says Skouosen, "Profits at USEC are surging already. Fourth-quarter net earnings climbed 35% to $40.1 million. And with nuclear energy looking like the best alternative to oil right now, the future looks bright.

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