United Kingdom Coal Imports Expected to Rise Sharply After Closure of Two Major Mines

RDInvesting Provides Stock Research on Cloud Peak Energy and CONSOL Energy

NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 03/18/13 -- The U.S. coal industry has endured some major struggles over the past few years. Tighter regulations on emission and increased competition from cheap natural gas have been major factors in the coal Industry's sharp decline. The Market Vectors-Coal ETF (KOL) has fallen over 30 percent in the past year. Research Driven Investing examines investing opportunities in the Coal Industry and provides equity research on Cloud Peak Energy Inc. (NYSE: CLD) and CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNX).


Access to the full company reports can be found at:

www.RDInvesting.com/CLD

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While domestic demand for coal has dwindled, foreign demand for coal looks to be on the rise. In 2012, China was the largest importer of coal with a total of 290 million tons, a year-over-year increase of 59 percent. Through the first two months of 2013 China imported 53.85 million tons of coal, an increase of 34.3 percent when compared to a year ago, according to customs data.

The United Kingdom is set to become more dependent on foreign coal after two major coal producers, UK Coal and Scottish Coal, announced mine closures earlier this month. According to a recent Reuters article, traders have stated coal imports are likely to see an increase of 70 percent due to the closures.

Research Driven Investing releases regular market updates on the Coal Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at www.RDInvesting.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

Cloud Peak Energy is headquartered in Wyoming and is one of the largest U.S. coal producers and the only pure-play Powder River Basin (PRB) coal company. The company owns rights to substantial undeveloped coal and complimentary surface assets in the Northern PRB, further building the company's long-term position to serve Asian export and domestic customers.

CONSOL Energy's premium Appalachian coals are sold worldwide to electricity generators and steelmakers, and their Natural Gas Division has grown from a pure-play coal bed methane producer to a full-fledged exploration and production operation. The company forecasts coal production to be in the range of 13.7 to 14.1 million tons for the first quarter of 2013.

Research Driven Investing has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned publicly traded companies. Research Driven Investing is compensated by other third party organizations for advertising services. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at: http://www.rdinvesting.com/disclaimer