Financial guru Carmel Daniele is none too concerned with the euro debt crisis, hemorrhaging oil in the Gulf or depressed natural gas. She's too busy making money. Whether it's oil in Colombia or potash in Peru, she's always looking for ways to improve the fortunes of her namesake CD Capital Private Equity Natural Resources Fund. In this straightforward interview with The Energy Report, Daniele shares with us her favorite emerging markets and investment opportunities for those willing to place some faith in London's commodity queen.

The Energy Report: What effect will the debt crisis in Europe have on oil prices?

Carmel Daniele: I have to say that the debt crisis in Europe has been blown completely out of proportion. Nearly 70% of the euro-area economy is made up of three countries: France, Germany and Italy. So unless the sovereign debt crisis derails their economies, I just can't see how the euro area can weaken sufficiently. Also, from a global perspective, Greece is quite small. China is 14 times bigger than Greece. In the meantime, we've got the U.S. economy rebounding. When the markets catch up and realize all this, I think that the oil price will increase again. Also, oil is one of the best hedges against inflation. With all the money supply being printed and inflation creeping in, there will be more investment in oil. I see the oil price going higher.

TER: Are you willing to specify a range?

CD: It's very hard to predict, but I think around $80–$90 is the level where everyone seems to be relatively happy.

TER: You mentioned Greece as being a relatively small economy, but we know that Spain is having some debt issues, as well as Portugal and Ireland. If there is contagion, is that cause for concern?

CD: France, Germany and Italy basically constitute 70% of the euro area, so they are the key.

TER: How solvent is the UK right now?

CD: I think that the UK will be fine. They were wise not to go into the euro back in 2000. London has historically been the mining finance center of the world. So, if the commodity super-cycle continues for another 20 years—which I believe it will—I think the UK should be fine. In the short term, there is talk about increasing taxes. But I think the biggest risk is if taxes increase to such a level that it provides a disincentive for businesses to be headquartered here, there will be a mass exit to other jurisdictions. However, the current government is quite sensitive to that and would not do anything drastic to jeopardize London's status as one of the key financial centers of the world.

TER: You started the CD Private Equity Natural Resources Fund in 2006 to take advantage of the commodity super-cycle. So far, oil is doing pretty well, but Natural Gas is below expectations. What's your take on what's happening with natural gas?

CD: Gas always has really violent cycles. I haven't really invested a lot in gas, but I think now would be a good time to invest because it's so cheap, and I can't see it staying this low.

TER: Any particular plays in the gas sectors that have caught your attention?

CD: There's one private company that I've invested in called Tourmaline Oil Corp. Its focus is on the western margin of the Western Canadian sedimentary basin, where the remaining targets are larger and where its staff has had considerable success in the past. These targets include the Alberta deep basin tight gas sands, unconventional gas resource targets and deeper conventional Devonian carbonate reservoirs.

The management team, headed by Michael Rose, has had success more than once in the past in building similar companies, like Durvaney Oil, and selling them to majors. I wouldn't be surprised if the company were to be sold prior to a listing. This is one of the most liquid private companies I have come across.

TER: One of the biggest stories on this side of the ocean is the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What effects do you see the spill having oil market?

CD: I was reading the other day in the Financial Times that the market is overstating the damage to BP and that the damage done to their market cap is greater than the cleanup costs and liabilities. I get the feeling that U.S. lawmakers will be in a hurry to make sure an accident like this doesn't ever happen again. They'll probably push through some legislation that impinges upon Gulf producers' earnings; there will probably be stronger enforcement of safety standards and a rise in the current liability cap. This will all impact Gulf producers' bottom-line earnings.

TER: What else did you learn on your recent trip to Colombia?

CD: As I said, Colombia is really a geologist's paradise. It's a rich country that has opened up to the world, with two-thirds of the country ready to be explored for the first time. It's a lot safer than it used to be. I felt very safe there; it's changed completely. A lot of the big resource companies are scrambling to open offices there, whereas a few years ago they would not go anywhere near it. Colombia is absolutely booming.

The government is very investor friendly; very environmentally conscious, as well. They want some of the bigger players that are environmentally conscious working on their properties rather than the small operators that are probably not as environmentally friendly. The other thing that I noticed was that the Colombian pension funds have a lot of money to deploy and they want to deploy it in their own country.

TER: What size are these funds?

CD: Multibillion-dollar funds. They manage roughly US$40 billion and are growing by about US$400 million to US$500 million monthly. I think it's very exciting when they start investing in their sector.

TER: Are you saying that these funds could create opportunities in terms of publicly listed companies?

CD: Yes, they create a lot of value because they can go in and buy oil and gas companies listed in their country on the Colombian exchange. That drives up the price and creates more liquidity for companies that are dual-listed there. That is what happened to Pacific Rubiales when it listed on the Bogota Exchange, and Canacol is looking at doing the same soon and should benefit in the same way.

TER: One of the reasons you started your fund was to take advantage of the burgeoning middle class in places like China and India. Tell us about the prospects for China considering recent reports that growth there will be somewhat below projections for at least 2010 and possibly 2011.

CD: The thing is China still has its foot on the accelerator and it's growing. It may not be growing as fast as we first expected, but we also have to remember that it's growing from a larger base. The impact is still huge. I'm still very bullish on it. China overtook the U.S. in the number of cars that it purchased in 2009 and more cars means more oil. There are 1.3 billion people in China; 300 million with spending power. It's obvious when you do the numbers that the Chinese will continue to buy as many cars as the 300 million Americans have for the last 20 years because they have five times the population. In China, 1 out of 10 people owns a car. Can you imagine when they catch up to the U.S.? They'll consume a lot of oil.

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