BANGALORE (Reuters) – Business from China and India is robust enough for shippers such as Paragon Shipping, Box Ships Inc and Seanergy Maritime Holdings not to be losing sleep over financial crises in the United States and Europe, executives said.

Brokers, including Intermodal and Wells Fargo Securities, have said the market volatility sparked by Standard & Poor’s U.S. sovereign debt rating cut and Europe’s debt crisis, could trip the global economy into a double-dip recession and land a body-blow to dry bulk trade and the shipping sector generally.

BANGALORE, Aug 10 (Reuters) – Dry cargo shippers Star Bulk
Carriers and Euroseas Ltd surprised Wall
Street with quarterly profits on lower costs, and indicated they
were on course to manage debt payments despite a weak market.

Most shipping companies have suffered in the past two years
as demand to transport commodities has lagged supply of vessels.
This has been compounded by a slowdown in the global economy
that has made access to funds difficult.

BANGALORE, Aug 4 (Reuters) – A number of small and
medium-sized U.S. oil and natural gas companies have increased
their annual spending budget as they look to produce more of oil
and natural gas liquids from their properties.

April-June Natural gas prices NGc1 rose about 3 percent
from year-ago levels to average $4.38 per million British
thermal units. U.S. crude oil prices CLc1 soared 32 percent to
average $103.49 a barrel during the period.

BANGALORE (Reuters) – Yingli Green Energy Holding boosted its second-quarter module shipment outlook and backed its gross margin forecast, but its shares fell 7 percent as the Chinese solar panel maker did not provide a much-expected update for the second half.

The solar market likely bottomed in the second quarter, after pullbacks in solar subsidies in the world’s No. 2 market Italy stalled development of projects there, creating an oversupply of solar panels and sparking a more than 20 percent drop in prices.

BANGALORE, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Yingli Green Energy Holding
boosted its second-quarter module shipment outlook and
backed its gross margin forecast, but its shares fell 7 percent
as the Chinese solar panel maker did not provide a much-expected
update for the second half.

The solar market likely bottomed in the second quarter,
after pullbacks in solar subsidies in the world’s No. 2 market
Italy stalled development of projects there, creating an
oversupply of solar panels and sparking a more than 20 percent
drop in prices.

BANGALORE, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Lower costs and an improvement
in gas and electricity rates helped utility owner Public Service
Enterprise Group (PSEG) post a market-beating quarterly
profit and back its forecast for the year, but plant outages
hurt Constellation Energy .

U.S. utilities have been hit hard in the last two years
because of lower natural gas prices and weak economic
conditions.

BANGALORE, Aug 2 (Reuters) – Oil and natural gas driller
Rowan Cos Inc posted a market-topping quarterly profit
as it kept a tab on costs despite regulatory delays in the Gulf
of Mexico and civil unrest in the Middle East.

The Houston-based company divested its drilling and mining
equipment unit in May and then hived off its onshore rig fleet
late last month, leaving it with a fleet of 29 shallow water
rigs and a long-stated desire to expand into deepwater.

BANGALORE/LONDON, Aug 1 (Reuters) – Diamond S Shipping said
WL Ross, First Reserve and some other global institutional
investors had committed about $1 billion in equity to the
privately held U.S. shipping group as it looks to expand its
fleet amid rising demand for oil.

Diamond will buy 30 medium-range refined product carriers
from privately owned Cido Tanker Holding Co under a deal
expected to close in this calendar quarter. This will add to its
fleet of 10 tankers under construction in Korean shipyards.

BANGALORE, Aug 1 (Reuters) – Diamond S Shipping said WL
Ross, First Reserve and other global institutional investors
have committed about $1 billion in equity to the privately held
U.S. shipping group as it looks to expand its fleet amid rising
demand for oil.

Diamond will buy 30 medium-range refined product carriers
from privately-owned Cido Tanker Holding Co under a deal
expected to close in this calendar quarter. This will add to its
fleet of 10 tankers under construction in Korean shipyards.

NEW YORK/BANGALORE (Reuters) – Three top U.S. power companies posted higher-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday, but drew a mixed picture of the nation’s economic outlook and demand for electricity.

Exelon Corp (EXC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which operates the largest U.S. fleet of nuclear power plants, raised its full-year profit forecast based on results in the first half, when it relied on strong residential and small-business demand to offset weak electricity usage from industrial customers.