Oil prices have plummeted from recent highs, but there is still a case to be made for investing in oil companies, according to Bill Smead, chief investment officer at Smead Capital Management. This is because energy prices are expected to remain high or maybe rise further, he said on CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Thursday.
He called the drop in crude prices "the first substantial correction" in a bull market that began in the spring of 2020, following a price crash.
"You have this enormous move, you go from $20 a barrel to $120 and then you pull back — and now people are saying, 'Oh yes, that's all over, that'll fix the inflation right there,'" Smead explained.
However, he believes that multiple reasons indicate that prices will rise.
According to him, the United States must replace 180 million barrels of strategic reserves that were depleted to meet demand, and supply remains tight.
"What happens when China's economy fully opens... get through their quarantines and just get out?" he asks, implying that demand will rise again.
Covid flare-ups in China have prompted lockdowns this year, causing energy usage to fall in the world's most populous country.
When further movement restrictions are lifted, demand is likely to rebound.
"We like the oil stocks around here." "You can buy 'em here, and Warren Buffett is doing so," Smead added.
Brent crude futures and West Texas Intermediate futures in the United States both rose above $120 per barrel this year, but are now trading at $96.88 and $90.88 per barrel, respectively. Nonetheless, both benchmarks are more than 40% higher than a year ago.

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