NRG (NYSE:NRG), Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:CXZ), USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU) and Exelon (NYSE:EXC) Ready to Rock on Nuclear Demand?

One element involved in the nuclear and uranium industry is some companies are exposed to several sectors and/or segments of energy, so they must be considered in that light accordingly, but with nuclear sure to be begin to rebound, as it appears it already is, companies like NRG (NYSE:NRG), Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:CXZ), USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU) and Exelon (NYSE:EXC) should benefit from the move.

A couple of bits of news gave the uranium and nuclear sector a boost Tuesday. One was the announcement by Uranerz Energy (URZ) that the company has increased its uranium resource base at Power River Basin by 45 percent to 19.1 million pounds. The company also said in its note to shareholders that it now holds $47 million in cash. That gave the company a 10 percent boost in its share price, and will have a short-term positive effect on the sector.

More important, and something that gives a look at the near-term outlook for the uranium and nuclear industry, is the new that Russian and Chinese state-owned nuclear companies have made bids for Australian uranium assets, underscoring the reality nuclear remains extremely important to the countries, and their plans to expand in that energy area will continue for years.

The difference now and after the nuclear problems in Japan is the companies are asking for a reduction in their bids. Rosatom bid for ASX-listed Tanzanian uranium developer Mantra Resources (ASX:MRU), where they asked for a reduction of 12 percent of the former bid.

China's CGNPC told Kalahari Minerals they want to cut 7 percent off its takeover bid.

So it appears the tragedy in Japan hasn't done much to stop nuclear demand, but rather has lowered the premium prices that had existed before the earthquake.

With uranium demand unlikely to fall any time soon, it's uncertain whether the lower acquisition bids will put downward pressure on margins and earnings of companies if that extends to uranium prices as well.

The bottom line is nuclear and uranium are not going anywhere, and China and Russia appear to be making a move to lock up long-term sources at prices 7 to 12 percent lower than before the nuclear crisis in Japan.

How that will affect the overall industry has yet to unfold, but it has definitely changed the game.

Denison (DNN) (USU) (URRE) (:CXZ) and (URZ) Rebounding After Initial Shock

Shares of uranium and nuclear companies such as Denison Mines Corp (AMEX:DNN), USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU), Uranium Resources, Inc. (NASDAQ:URRE), Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:CXZ) and Uranerz Energy Corporation (AMEX:URZ) are starting to slowly gain traction again after the initial shock of the nuclear disaster in Japan from the earthquake is starting to slowly wind down.

The extreme news headlines suggesting that the nuclear sector is going to be abandoned and replaced by other so-called "green" energy is ludicrous of course, as solar and wind turbines are a poor and unpredictable sources of energy, and will never be able to supply, or come close to supplying, the growing energy needs of the world.

While it's predictable the nuclear industry will go over safety measures to ensure the highest safety levels possible, the idea of taking an extremely rare occurence like an 8.9 earthquake as the worst case scenario isn't going to happen, even though the industry will be safer and better for making any improvements they can.

This is a time to look at low valuations and buy up targeted nuclear and uranium companies, as they will undoubtedly rebound and make shareholders and investors a lot of money.

Denison closed Friday at $2.34, up $0.04, or 1.74 percent. iShares S&P Global Nuclear Energy Index (Nasdaq:NUCL) closed at $42.14, falling $0.09, or 0.21 percent. Market Vectors Nuclear Energy E (NYSEArca:NLR) ended the session at $23.49, gaining $0.11, or 0.47 percent.

NRG (NRG) (FLR) (SHAW) (CXZ) Closed Mixed in Monday Trading

Shares of uranium and nuclear companies like NRG (NYSE:NRG), Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:CXZ), Fluor (FLR) and Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE:SHAW) closed mixed Monday April 25th after the initial shock of the nuclear challenges in Japan from the earthquake start to gradually wind down.

The headline's that the nuclear sector is going to be abandoned and replaced by other so-called "green" energy is of course ludicrous, as solar and wind turbines are a poor and unpredictable source of energy, and will never be able to supply, or come close to supplying, the growing energy needs of the world.

While it's obvious the nuclear industry will go over safety measures to ensure the highest safety levels possible, the idea of taking an extremely rare occurrence like an 8.9 earthquake in Japan as the worst case scenario to determine nuclear strategies isn't going to happen, even though the industry will be safer and better for making any improvements they can.

Uranium suppliers, either way, will continue to enjoy growth going forward, regardless of the response to the industry in the aftermath of Japan, as existing nuclear plants will continue to operate for years into the future, and will need uranium to power them.

Who could be hurt more, depending on if they have any courage to continue on in the sector or not, are General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Siemens (NYSE:SI).

Shaw (SHAW) (CCJ) (cxz) (UUU) Trade Mixed as Nuclear Looks for Clarity

Shares of uranium and nuclear companies like Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:cxz), Uranium One (TSE:UUU), Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ) and Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE:SHAW) are trading mixed after the initial shock of the nuclear challenges in Japan from the earthquake have started to slowly wind down.

The headline silliness that the nuclear sector is going to be abandoned and replaced by other so-called "green" energy is ludicrous, as solar and wind turbines are a poor and unpredictable source of energy, and will never be able to supply, or come close to supplying, the growing energy needs of the world.

While it's obvious the industry will go over safety measures to ensure the highest safety levels possible, the idea of taking an extremely rare occurence like an 8.9 earthquake as the worst case scenario isn't going to happen, even though the industry will be safer and better for making any improvements they can.

Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:cxz) closed Thursday at $0.995, falling $0.035, or 3.40percent. Uranium One closed in Toronto at $3.97, down $0.05, or 1.24 percent. Cameco Corporation ended the day at $29.09, gaining $0.09, or 0.24 percent. Shaw closed at $37.94, rising $0.10, or 0.26 percent.

Crosshair (CXZ) (UEC) (URG) (URRE) Trade Mixed as Nuclear Settles Down

Shares of uranium and nuclear companies Uranium Energy (AMEX:UEC), Ur-Energy Inc. (AMEX:URG), Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:CXZ) and Uranium Resources, Inc.(URRE) are trading mixed after the early shock of the nuclear disaster in Japan from the earthquake are gradually winding down.

The headlines that imply that somehow the nuclear sector was going to be cut and replaced by other so-called "green" energy is nonsense, as solar and wind turbines are a poor and unpredictable source of energy, and will never be able to supply, or come close to supplying the growing energy needs of the world.

While it's a no brainer the industry will go over safety measures to ensure the highest safety levels possible, to use a rare occurence like an 8.9 earthquake as the worst case scenario isn't going to happen in the nuclear industry, even though the sector will be safer and better for making any improvements they are able to.

Uranium Resources, Inc. closed Tuesday at $1.95, level with Monday's close. Crosshair Expl & Mining closed at $0.97, dropping $0.036, or 3.56 percent. Uranium Energy ended the trading day at $3.78, down $0.17, or 4.30 percent. Ur-Energy Inc. closed at $1.58, down $0.05, or 3.07 percent.

URG (URG) (FLR) (UUU) (NLR) (NUCL) Close Mixed as Nuclear Rebounds

Shares of uranium and nuclear companies like Fluor (FLR), Ur Energy (URG), Uranium One (TSE:UUU), Market Vectors Nuclear Energy E (NYSEArca:NLR) and iShares S&P Global Nuclear Energy Index (Nasdaq:NUCL) are trading mixed after the initial shock of the nuclear challenges in Japan from the earthquake are gradually winding down.

The headline nonsense that somehow the nuclear sector was going to be cut and replaced by other so-called "green" energy is ludicrous, as solar and wind turbines are a poor and unpredictable source of energy, and will never be able to supply, or come close to supplying the growing energy needs of the world.

While it's obvious the industry will go over safety measures to ensure the highest safety levels possible, to use a rare occurrence like an 8.9 earthquake as the worst case scenario isn't going to happen, even though the industry will be safer and better for making any improvements they can.

Smaller uranium companies like Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:CXZ) and Uranerz Energy (AMEX:URZ) closed down, while the larger companies closed up.

Market Vectors Nuclear Energy E closed Friday at $22.68, gaining $0.03, or 0.13 percent. iShares S&P Global Nuclear Energy Index closed at $40.63, falling $0.24, or 0.59 percent. Ur Energy closed at $1.65, down $0.01, or 0.60 percent. Uranium One closed at $3.89, down $0.04, or 1.02 percent. Fluor ended the session at $68.73, gaining $1.91, or 2.86 percent.

China Temporarily Suspends Nuclear Plant Approvals

Confirming what they've already said, China said it will continue to build its nuclear reactors and maintian their nuclear energy strategy, although they have stopped approval of nuclear plants in order to go over safety standards to see if anything needs to be changed.

Some media outlets have made this look as if there is some doubt as to using nuclear energy in China, but that's not the case at all; it's just a temporary precaution to make sure the proper safety measures in place before proceeding.

In a statement made by the Chinese state council, they also said it "has required relevant departments to do safety checks at existing plants."

"Before the revised safety standards are approved, all new nuclear power plants, including pre-construction works, should be suspended," according to the statement.

The report concluded that China isn't affected by radioactive leakage from the Japanese plant.

As expected, the nuclear, and by extension, uranium industry, could be under short-term pressure, but that won't last long once the safety process is completed.

With the nuclear goals still in place, it's unclear whether that will have too much of a detrimental impact on uranium companies, as an expected supply problem has been anticipated for some time, and China and others vying for uranium may continue to stock up.

Some uranium companies are Cameco (NYSE:CCJ), Crosshair (AMEX:CXZ), Denison (AMEX:DNN), Uranium Energy (AMEX:UEC), UR Energy (AMEX:URG), Uranium Resources (NASDAQ:URRE) and Uranerz Energy (AMEX:URZ).

Cameco (CCJ), Denison Mines (DNN), Crosshair (AMEX:CXZ), Uranium Energy (UEC) Punished on Nuclear Uncertainty

From an investing standpoint, the drop in share prices of nuclear-exposed stocks like Cameco (CCJ), Denison Mines (AMEX:DNN), Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:CXZ) and Uranium Energy (AMEX:UEC) must be considered a buying opportunity, as the fundamentals in the industry won't be changing at all, even with the usual political performance of "looking into" the industry.

The idea of solar and wind turbines as legitimate energy sources are laughable, and the endless support of so-called clean energy is represented by nuclear itself, which brings the list of alternatives down to a very few possibilities.

That also doesn't include the fact that there isn't enough energy to face the near future, and nuclear will have to be built and expanded to meet it.

So in spite of the inevitable calls for slowing down the industry, etc., after some looks into improving the sector, we'll return the ongoing nuclear expansion, as the newer reactors are even safer than the old ones, and they are the best answer over the next several decades while other alternatives are being explored.

For those with a little patience, most of those in the sector which are healthy companies will rebound back, and investment now will pay off in a relatively short time, once the situation in Japan is understood better and the news is digested.

Cameco closed Monday at $32.62, down $4.76, or 12.73 percent. Denison closed at $2.55, down $0.74, or 22.49. Crosshair closed the day at $1.27, falling $0.40, or 23.95 percent. Uranium Energy closed at $3.92, falling $0.93, or 19.18 percent.

Uranium Producers (CCJ) (DNN) (USU) (URG) (URRE) Getting Crushed Today

Shares of uranium producers and suppliers are getting crushed today on concerns over the potential consequences which could come as a result of the damage at nuclear power plants in Japan.

Companies like Cameco Corporation (NYSE:CCJ), Denison Mines Corp (AMEX:DNN), USEC Inc. (NYSE:USU), URG (AMEX:URG), Uranium Resources Inc. (URRE), Crosshair Expl & Mining (AMEX:CXZ) and Uranium Energy (AMEX: UEC).

Shaw Group Inc. (NYSE:SHAW), Market Vectors Nuclear Energy E (NYSEArca:NLR) and iShares S&P Global Nuclear Energy Index (Nasdaq:NUCL) were also getting hammered.

"The triple issue of the earthquake, tsunami and now the nuclear plant is enough to make anyone afraid," said James Dailey, portfolio manager of the Team Asset Strategy Fund. "Anytime you get this type of human tragedy, it shakes people up."

Cameco was trading at $31.61, down $5.77, or 15.44 percent, as of 12:46 PM EDT. Denison Mines was at $2.48, down $0.81, or 24.62 percent. USEC was at $4.48, down $0.68, or 13.18 percent. Ur Energy collapsed to $1.84, falling $0.67, or 26.69 percent. Uranium Resources plunged to $1.70, declining $0.6250, or 26.88 percent. Crosshair plummeted to $1.22, down $0.45, or 26.95 percent. Uranium Energy dropped to $3.62, down $1.23, or 25.46 percent.

Shaw plunged to $31.16, down $7.25, or 18.88 percent. Market Vectors Nuclear Energy fell to $21.98, down $3.53, or 13.84 percent. iShares S&P Global Nuclear Energy Index dropped to $39.27, down $5.43, or 12.15 percent.