Hi everyone,

With the rising prices of oil and summer being just around the corner, I am hoping to invest in either an oil centric mutual fund or an oil index stock. Could I have a few pointers please?

I have traded stock before, but not mutual funds. Also, a simple search on Google did not seem to return anything of value (obviously, I am not punching in the right keywords).

Thanks a ton in advance.
--SS

you could check out the newly trading US oil fund ETF (USO)

(from this article)

Thanks a ton. That will surely help.

Summer is not the best time to invest in this index. Right now is a really bad time with oil at historical highs. Check the historical spot prices first http://www.economagic.com/em-cgi/data.exe/...exas-crude-long

Looks like December is the best time (usually) to get into this if you are looking simply at price increases (you could short sell it now if you feel lucky). This is a commodity index and treat it as such. There will be significant price fluctuations depending on news, weather, political events, overseas insurrections, time of year. Demand goes up during the summer and so does the price.

Personally, I invested some in Icon Energy Fund (ICENX) in 3/05 and have received a nice return - about 45% for the year.

And don't take investment advice from an idiot like me on a bargain web site. Talk to an investment broker if you are investing a decent amount of cash. I consider myself a knowledgeable investor but still talk to an investment advisor friend before getting into something. I work too hard for my money to lose it on stock gambling.

Last but not least, get a prospectus and read what stocks the fund is invested in to see if it fits your investment profile. I would never invest 100% of my money in Icon even though it has great returns. The industry is too risky.