By Marin Katusa, Casey Research

My most recent trip to Calgary gave me a welcome chance to catch up with friends and colleagues in Cow Town’s oil and gas sector. I found out about new projects, investigated companies of interest, and came away with an improved feel for the current state of affairs – what’s hot, what’s not, and why.

I also came away reminded of one of the dangers that lurk within troubled markets – and today’s markets are troubled. Since mid-March, North America’s exchanges have struggled, with the Dow Jones losing all the momentum that had propelled a spectacular 17% gain over the previous five months while the Toronto Stock Exchange also sputtered and slid, turning downward to lose its slight gains from January and February. Fundamental economic problems remain unresolved in the United States and Europe, while uncertainty grows over China’s ability to control inflation and maintain growth.

The outlook from here is not great. When markets turn bearish, investment strategies often turn toward income stocks, and rightly so: if market malaise is expected to keep share prices in check, dividends become a very good place to look for profits. But whenever a particular characteristic – such as a good dividend yield – becomes desirable, it also becomes dangerous. The sad truth is that scammers and profiteers jump aboard the bandwagon and start making offers that seem too good to refuse.

It was just such an offer that reminded me of this danger. In the question-and-answer period following my talk in Calgary at the Cambridge House Resource Conference, an audience member asked my opinion of a new, private company that was offering a 14.7% monthly dividend yield.

Yes, you read that right: a 14.7% monthly yield, from a new, private, natural gas company.

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