In late January, Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), the world’s most ubiquitous oil giant, capped off a whipsaw year in the global oil markets by reporting net income of $45.2 billion, an all-time record for corporate profits that shattered the former record it had set a year before.

The number was so big and the results beat Wall Street estimates by so much at a time when the credit crisis was wreaking havoc on so many other sectors that Oppenheimer & Sons (NYSE: OPY) oil analyst Fadel Gheit couldn’t help but quip that he didn’t think Exxon “will be lining up for any TARP money or government handout anytime soon.”

Exxon wasn’t the only heavyweight reaping the benefit of a zooming energy market…

Gold prices have been fairly stagnant lately, but savvy investors are still making money. AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) is rewarding its investors today for taking some risk.

Gold prices may not be moving by leaps and bounds today, but savvy gold investors are seeing their stakes make a nice move.

I have always told investors if they can handle the extra risk, investing in the leading gold miners is a surefire strategy to leverage the gains made in the gold market. Today’s action from AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) proves the theory is valid.

Shares of the South African gold miner are up by about 5% after the company announced its second quarter was a record breaker. Thanks to increased production efficiency and a boost in gold…