Housing Data Remains Strong, But Lumber Prices Suffer

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

As the U.S. economy finally picks up its pace, many investors are returning to the corner of the market that was one of the primary sources of the 2008 financial crisis: housing. Across the board, housing stats have been on the rise in recent years, including home prices, housing starts, building permits and construction. As such, interest in the raw materials involved in housing have also benefited from the uptrend, particularly lumber [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Commodity Futures, Lumber, Timber | Tagged | Leave a comment

Natural Gas: Is Now The Time To Make A Play?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

Natural gas is one of the most popular commodities in the world and it often ranks among the CME Group’s most traded futures contracts; however, the commodity had been stuck in a rut since the 2008 recession before it finally saw some relief as 2013 opened. From natural gas’s peak to the beginning of the year, the fossil fuel had declined by more than 92%, as a number of macroeconomic factors weighed on the commodity. Just as it finally picked up steam in 2013, NG sputtered into May, dipping more than 9% through the first week of the month [for more natural gas news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

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Peter Schiff: Gold Is At A Steep Discount

Posted on May 10, 2013 by

Even gold bugs have to admit that the yellow metal has seen better days. After hitting record lows on April 15th, many analysts have speculated that gold may no longer be a viable investment option, at least not in the way it has been in the past five years. With investor faith and gold prices reaching fresh lows, some see these new market conditions as an opportunity. Well-known for his high opinion of gold and commodity centered investment strategies, Peter Schiff thinks these low prices could provide a huge payoff for savvy investors who are willing to continue gambling with gold prices [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Asset Allocation, Gold, Precious Metals | Tagged | 2 Comments

Caution: Tin Slumps Into Bear Territory

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

Industrial metals have been on somewhat of a bumpy road so far in 2013, though recent price movements in the copper market have made investors think twice about this corner of the commodities world. Last week, copper futures soared after several encouraging reports from China, the world’s second largest economy and one of the largest consumers of the metal, helped boost optimisim for copper demand. Though copper’s outlook has improved, there is one industrial metal that has not benefited from the rally: tin [for more industrial metals news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Asset Allocation, Copper, Industrial Metals, Tin | Tagged | Leave a comment

2013 Commodity Trades You Wish You Made

Posted on April 30, 2013 by

The phrase “hindsight is always 20/20″ is most applicable to investors. There are numerous occasions when traders wish they would have followed their gut or executed a specific position, especially looking back on the gains that certain assets have made. It is relatively easy to make a bold call on a specific asset, but it is much more difficult to follow through with the trade and exit the position at the proper moment. With 2013 already being a wild year in the commodity world, we take a look back at some of the most fruitful trades throughout the industry thus far [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Asset Allocation, Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Commodity Producers, Energy, Gold, Natural Gas, Precious Metals, Silver | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Natural Gas: How To Play The Summer Comeback

Posted on April 28, 2013 by

It’s been an interesting time for investors in the natural gas space. As hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling have become the extraction method of choice for E&P firms, production of the fuel has skyrocketed and led to a surplus of supply and high storage inventories. The huge surpluses have combined with slack demand for the fuel, causing prices to crater. At one point they were below $2 per MMBtu [for more oil news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

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Copper Drops Into Danger Zone

Posted on April 18, 2013 by

Metals across the board have suffered steep losses in recent days, with gold’s alarming 9% one-day drop rattling the markets and investor confidence. And while gold remains as one of traders’ top concerns, another metal’s volatile movements has been raising some red flags. Yesterday, copper futures for April delivery tumbled 3.6% to $3.1880 a pound, marking the lowest level since October 2011. The metal has almost dropped 20% from its most recent high, so the probability of copper entering bear territory is quite likely [for more copper news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

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Cotton Fares Well In 2013

Posted on April 14, 2013 by

While many commodity investors and traders primarily focus their attention on larger natural resources like gold or oil, there are plenty of other opportunities in the space; one of them lies within the soft commodity of cotton [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Cotton | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Caution: Goldman Says Short Gold

Posted on April 11, 2013 by

While major U.S. equity indexes continue to push into uncharted territory, commodities have taken a backseat so far this year. As investors keep pouring into stocks and increasing their overall risk appetites, safe-haven assets like gold have faltered. Year-to-date gold has dipped just over 7%, while the S&P 500 has jumped over 11% during the same time period [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Asset Allocation, Commodity Futures, Gold, Precious Metals | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Monsanto (MON) Beats Wall Street Earnings Estimates

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

When it comes to agribusiness stocks, there is perhaps no name bigger than Monsanto Company (MON) – the world’s leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate and the second biggest producer of genetically engineered seeds. Headquartered in St. Louis, the firm has grown into an over $55 billion company, with operations spanning across the U.S., Europe, Africa, Brazil, Asia-Pacific, Argentina, Canada and Mexico [for more agricultural news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Commodity Producers, Corn, Earnings Reports | Tagged | Leave a comment