Analysis Topic: Commodity Markets - Metals, Softs & Oils
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Critical Raw Materials / Commodities / Metals & Mining
A critical or strategic material is a commodity whose lack of availability during a national emergency would seriously affect the economic, industrial, and defensive capability of a country.
The report "Critical Raw Materials for the EU" listed 14 raw materials which they deemed critical to the European Union (EU): antimony, beryllium, cobalt, fluorspar, gallium, germanium, graphite, indium, magnesium, niobium, platinum group metals , rare earths , tantalum and tungsten.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Kazakhstan's Uranium Industry Could Lose Its Luster / Commodities / Uranium
What a difference a year and a tsunami make.
Western investors have been salivating over the post-Soviet space's energy riches since the 1991 collapse of communism. While focusing on the Caspian's hydrocarbon reserves other mineralogical riches awaited development as well, none more so than Kazakhstan's vast uranium deposits.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Uranium Stocks Basing As Fukushima Proves Nuclear Power Is Here To Stay / Commodities / Uranium
A significant base may be forming in uranium stocks -- seen in the Global X Uranium ETF (URA) -- as Japan's troubled nuclear energy industry passed its first major vote since the Fukushima tragedy. Many of the stocks that make up this etf are down more than 40% such as Uranium Resources (URRE) and Uranium Energy Corporation (UEC). But positive news is beginning to reemerge after three months of naysaying. Fukushima is proving nuclear is here to stay.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Gold Gains on US Debt Woes that Far Exceed Europe's / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
THE WHOLESALE price of gold bullion rose above $1545 per ounce Tuesday morning in London – just over 2% off last month's all-time high – while stock and commodity markets also gained.US Treasury bonds fell meantime as negotiations continued over the US federal debt ceiling.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Indian Gold and Silver Imports Surge 222% as Official Inflation Surges to 8.65% / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
Gold is trading at $1,544.39/oz, €1,076.08/oz and £954.27/oz. Gold is marginally higher in most currencies today and on the verge of making new nominal highs in dollars, euros and pounds.
It is holding near record highs as there is no quick end in sight to economic turmoil in Europe after Greece was told to approve brutal new austerity measures to avoid defaulting on its debt. This would threaten the solvency of many western banks and the European Central Bank's Ordonez (member of the ECB’s governing council) warned this morning that the Greek crisis could have ‘transcendent consequences’.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Agriculture's Impending 'Storm' Will Send Corn Prices Soaring / Commodities / Agricultural Commodities
Kerri Shannon writes: Don't let the recent slip fool you: Corn prices are ready to soar.
Worldwide demand for corn has surged, and shrinking stockpiles are unlikely to be replaced due to extreme weather conditions that have destroyed millions of acres of farmland.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Don't Get Suckered by Wall Street's Low Gold Price Forecasts / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
William Patalon III writes: I was scanning the news wires in search of a particular item late last week when a story caught my eye: It seems that Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM), the world's No.2 gold producer, believes that the burgeoning demand from Asia's newly minted middle class will send the yellow metal up to $1,600 this year and even higher in 2011.
The Newmont story reminded me of another news item that I'd read just days before - a news-service poll of analysts that said that the current Wall Street consensus was for gold prices to reach $1,700 an ounce in 2015.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Gold on the Brink... Of What? / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
Greece
This weekend, the E.U. Ministers promised the next tranche of money to Greece and a second bailout package if Greece enforces another bout of austerity on itself. Does this clear the E.U. of its obligations? They have not yet finalized these terms and await the next episode in Greece of its acceptance of this principle.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Aviation Biofuels About to Take Off / Commodities / Ethanol
An extraordinary convergence of recent events seems poised shortly to make aviation biofuels the belle of the investor's ball.
The first is that on 8 June the follows the international standards certifying body ASTM International announcing its approval of its BIO SPK Fuel Standard, to be made official later in the year, of the use of hydrotreated renewable jet (HRJ) Jet A-1 fuel in commercial aviation. The potential financial implications are massive, as together the airline industry and the U.S. military use more than 42.25 million gallons (1.5 million barrels) of jet fuel a day.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 20, 2011
QE Illustrates Why Investors Should Have Exposure to Agri-Equities / Commodities / Agricultural Commodities
While thinking about corn and wheat and pork prices, we cannot help but note the importance of Wednesday, 22 June. On that day the Federal Open Market Committee of the U.S. Federal Reserve should read the eulogy for QE-2. As far as can be determined by impartial observers, that policy was a complete and utter failure. No positive economic benefits have been discernable. Rather, it created one great bear markets for the U.S. dollar that helped fuel one great run in commodity prices.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Gold Holds Steady on Fears of Euro-zone Market Massacre / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
U.S. DOLLAR gold prices hovered in a tight range around $1537 per ounce Monday morning London time – 2.5% below last month's all-time record high – while stock and commodity markets fell and US Treasury bonds gained after Eurozone finance ministers postponed a decision on financial aid for Greece.Silver prices dropped to $35.44 per ounce – a 1.2% fall from last week's close.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Gold Rises to New Record Sterling on Global Debt Contagion Risk / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
Gold is trading at $1,535.85/oz, €1,080.37/oz and £950.28/oz.
Gold is being supported as default risk has increased after EU finance ministers failed to agree on a new Greek loan package. Gold priced in sterling rose to new record nominal highs this morning at £954.84/oz and the weakness of the euro has seen gold rise to touching distance (9 euros) from new record highs in euro terms at €1,088/oz.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, June 20, 2011
Gold is Golden / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
Global uncertainties abound: geopolitical, financial, and economic.
The aforementioned is a strong underlying driver for a more stable medium of exchange. The confluence of these events suggests $4,000 gold (per ounce) by 2020 seems more probable.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Will Gold Stock Investors Strike Gold? / Commodities / Gold & Silver Stocks
Gold prices passed the $1,500 per ounce mark for the first time ever in mid-April of this year and have set up shop around $1,525-$1,550 an ounce aside from a couple of short pullbacks in early May. So far in 2011, it’s been relatively status quo for those investors who’ve embraced gold as a way to protect themselves from currency debasement, excessive money printing and inflation as prices have increased 7.67 percent. BofA-Merrill Lynch (BofA-ML) analysts are forecasting gold prices could fall to $1,400 an ounce during seasonal weakness in July before rebounding as high as $1,650 an ounce by early fall.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Gold Rally Momentum Deteriorating / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
Either speculators are getting used to the daily Middle East and EU (primarily Greece) upheavals or have taken tranquilizers as the gold trading in recent days has not been all that energetic. The momentum of the recent move is deteriorating and that implies that gold might just take another dip. How far and how long is anyone’s guess.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Gold Top? Long-term Chart Analysis / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
Today I had a look at one of the charts I created a long long time ago (in late 2008).
I was amazed by the accuracy of the lines I drew back then.
I drew Fibonacci levels from the bottom in 1976 (100$)=0.00% and assumed the highest close of 1980 (834$) would be the 50% Retracement level.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Why Soybean Price Could Double From Here / Commodities / Agricultural Commodities
Risk Hacker writes: While for the past 12 months, corn and wheat prices have nearly doubled with corn price rising 88% by percent and wheat price by 95%, soybean price has been lagging the performance. However several key factors suggest that risk of soybean price is still dramatically skewed upwards.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, June 18, 2011
What Germany’s Political Decision To Exit Nuclear Means For Uranium Mining Stocks? / Commodities / Uranium
Deutschland (EWG) is taking the wrong road again. It is a decision that is political and irrational motivated in response to the Green Party. It makes one wonder what some politicians do to try to get elected.
The leaders of German Industry have written an open letter stating that the ending of German Nuclear Energy with such "unprecedented haste" gives us increasing worry.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, June 17, 2011
Gold Going to $5,000 or More! / Commodities / Gold and Silver 2011
Of the 133 analysts who have now gone public in maintaining that gold will eventually go to a parabolic peak price of $2,500/ozt.+ before the bubble bursts, 90 – yes 90, maintain that gold will reach at least $5,000 per ozt. Take a look here at who is projecting what, by when.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, June 17, 2011
Crude Oil Price Downward Pressure / Commodities / Crude Oil
Frankly, there are so many cross-currents influencing the markets at any given time, uncertainty clearly has the upper hand -- even when we think that new information or decisions are alleviating some of the uncertainty.
Case in point: crude oil prices. Is downward pressure positive for equities (for obvious reasons: i.e., the consumer gets a "tax cut"), or negative because it might reflect a serious slow down in U.S. and global economic growth (read: China demand)?
Read full article... Read full article...