Roger S. Conrad

Uncle Sam is kicking the can down the road again on the Keystone XL Pipeline. In a non-decision that should have surprised no one, the US State Department delayed a final ruling on the $5.4 billion project.

The aftermath of a dividend cut is always an emotional time, especially for investors who own the stock in question. But if you can keep a level head and evaluate the company’s proposed turnaround effort, you can find deep-value plays poised for big returns—a rarity in a five-year-old bull market.

Investors who focus on quality won't have as much to fear if the bear market comes out of hibernation.

Energen Corp (NYSE: EGN) will sell its Alabama gas distribution utility to Laclede Gas (NYSE: LG), for $1.28 billion in cash plus $320 million in assumed debt. The company will deploy the estimated $1.1 billion in after tax proceeds to further develop its high potential properties in the Permian Basin.

Savvy investors who buy the best utility stocks at the best prices will outperform the index huggers.

We run through the first quarter’s biggest winners and biggest losers, while revisiting the investment themes that should outperform in 2014.

Soft economic growth and dysfunctional regulation have brought payout cuts for five European power, telecom and water providers. And all but one signal further reductions in the next 12 to 18 months.

The Conrad's Utility Investor Portfolios have beaten benchmark interest rates since I launched on July 31, 2013 - a clear sign my recommended dividend-paying stocks follow earnings, not interest rates. And with another round of earnings due later this month, all of our companies are set to prove their worth to investors again.

America's leading telecom doubles down on its US business with a key acquisition.

Utility history is rife with poor diversification, and that appears to be the consensus bet against WGL Holdings (NYSE: WGL), the regulated gas distribution company for the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia. But an A+ rating on top of an attractive yield could change skeptics' minds.