NEW YORK/BANGALORE, July 27 (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 , 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.

BANGALORE, July 26 (Reuters) – DryShips Inc , a
Greece-based dry cargo shipper, said it would acquire smaller
rival OceanFreight Inc for $118 million to increase
the number of large ships in its fleet when asset prices are
low.

The Baltic Exchange’s main sea freight index , which
tracks rates to ship dry commodities, has lost over a quarter of
its value this year as vessel oversupply outpaces demand to ship
commodities.

BANGALORE, July 25 (Reuters) – The Baltic Exchange’s main
sea freight index , which tracks rates to ship dry
commodities, fell for the 12th straight session on Monday as
rates for capesizes remained low due to a lack of iron ore
cargoes.

The index, which gauges the cost of shipping commodities
including iron ore, cement, grain, coal and fertiliser, fell 6
points, or 0.45 percent, to 1,317 points. The index has been
erratic this year, trading between 1,300 and 1,500 points as
ship oversupply outpaces demand to ship commodities.

BANGALORE, July 21 (Reuters) – The Baltic Exchange’s main
sea freight index , which tracks rates to ship dry
commodities, dropped yet again on Thursday as ship oversupply in
both the basins negated a pick up in fixing activity.

The index — which gauges the cost of shipping commodities
including iron ore, cement, grain, coal and fertiliser — fell 3
points, or 0.23 percent, to 1,325 points. The index has traded
this year between 1,300 and 1,500 points as ship oversupply
outpaces demand to ship commodities.

BANGALORE, July 20 (Reuters) – The Baltic Exchange’s main
sea freight index , which tracks rates to ship dry
commodities, remained negative for the ninth straight session on
Wednesday as trading stayed subdued and a West Australia to
China benchmark weakened.

The index — which gauges the cost of shipping commodities
such as iron ore, cement, grain, coal and fertiliser — fell 2
points, or 0.15 percent, to 1,328 points. The overall index has
traded between 1,300-1,500 points this year, coming under
pressure as ship oversupply outpaces demand.

BANGALORE, July 20 (Reuters) – Ensign Energy Services Inc
, a Canada-based oilfield services provider, said it
will buy the land drilling rigs of Rowan Companies Inc
for $510 million to expand into the oil-rich shales in southern
United States.

Global exploration and production companies have piled on to
the shale fields — underground rock formations rich in oil and
gas — as crude prices CLc1 LCOc1 continue to rise. This
boom in U.S. onshore drilling has helped sales at services
companies, including world’s No. 2 Halliburton .

BANGALORE/LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. demand-response companies are expected to aggressively expand into UK, where rising power prices and increasing demand offer them the perfect opportunity to diversify from a saturated domestic market and cut overdependence on their main customer, PJM.

Companies such as EnerNOC (ENOC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Comverge Inc (COMV.O: Quote, Profile, Research) work with grid operators, utilities and consumers to lower demand during peak hours when rates are highest. They pay customers who save power and provide grids with the extra capacity to avoid blackouts.

BANGALORE/LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. demand-response companies are expected to aggressively expand into UK, where rising power prices and increasing demand offer them the perfect opportunity to diversify from a saturated domestic market and cut overdependence on their main customer, PJM.

Companies such as EnerNOC (ENOC.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Comverge Inc (COMV.O: Quote, Profile, Research) work with grid operators, utilities and consumers to lower demand during peak hours when rates are highest. They pay customers who save power and provide grids with the extra capacity to avoid blackouts.

BANGALORE (Reuters) – ReneSola Ltd, a China-based solar wafer producer, joined a slew of companies in cutting its quarterly revenue and gross profit margin view, as lower subsidies in major European markets weigh on sales and prices.

ReneSola shares, having nearly halved their value this year, fell 8 percent to a low of $4.29 on Tuesday. Other solar stocks, including those of First Solar, Suntech Power, Trina Solar, Yingli Green Energy and GT Solar International, were also down.

BANGALORE (Reuters) – Shares of Clean Energy Fuels Corp rose 16 percent after Chesapeake Energy Corp said on Monday it plans to invest $150 million in Clean Energy to fund the development of nearly 150 liquefied natural gas (LNG) truck fueling stations.

Clean Energy, co-founded by Texas oilman and billionaire T. Boone Pickens, sells compressed natural gas to light to medium-duty vehicles and LNG to trucks and other medium to heavy-duty vehicles.