U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) has fallen on hard times, with its stock down roughly 50% so far in 2020. It's certainly not the only international oil major that is struggling, but investors need to step back and consider a number of key factors before deciding to buy this stock. Third-quarter earnings will be released Friday, Oct. 30. Here's a quick look at some of the key factors to consider.
Environmentalists would have you believe that the demise of carbon fuels like oil and natural gas is fast approaching. That's not likely to be the case, given that oil and gas are so integral to the global energy picture. Yes, clean energy is growing rapidly and displacing carbon fuels. But that's mostly coming at the expense of coal, while oil and natural gas are set to remain key energy sources for decades under even aggressive clean-energy scenarios.
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