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

2 Independent Oil & Gas Firms On Fire

Posted on March 28, 2013 by

In the world of oil and gas investing, big names like Exxon Mobil and Chevron are usually what come to mind, as these mega-companies seem to dominate the industry. There are, however, a small subset of companies that have certainly solidified their place in many investors’ portfolios: independent oil and gas. While the market capitalization of these companies may be small, their attractive returns and growth potential warrant a closer look [for more oil and gas news subscribe to our free newsletter]. 

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Asset Allocation, Commodity Producers, Energy, Natural Gas, WTI | Leave a comment

Gold Gears Up For A Rebound

Posted on March 25, 2013 by

It was Warren Buffett that urged investors to be greedy when others are fearful, and fearful when others are greedy. At a time when it seems like equities are unstoppable, investors have been pouring into stocks and increasing their overall risk appetite. As a result, safe-haven assets like gold have taken a big hit, as there is less perceived risk in the economy than in the recent past. But what goes up must come down, and savvy investors have an opportunity to turn a profit based on current trends [for more gold news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

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

Dow Commodity Highs: 2007 vs. 2013

Posted on March 22, 2013 by

With the Dow hitting all-time highs again, it’s worth looking back at the Dow Jones in 2007 and examining what has changed. In the intervening time, it has been a wild ride for commodities. Commodity prices soared in 2008 and 2009 as China rapidly industrialized, with oil moving from about $50 per barrel to over $145 per barrel and copper jumping from about $2.70 per pound to over $4.20 per pound [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Agriculture, Aluminum, Asset Allocation, Commodity Producers, Energy, Industrial Metals, Natural Gas, WTI | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Anadarko’s Oil Find May Be A “Game Changer”

Posted on March 21, 2013 by

Last week, Texas-based independent oil and natural gas explorer Anadarko (APC) announced one of its largest oil discoveries in the Gulf of Mexico. Immediately following the press release, shares of the company, as well as the well’s co-owners ConocoPhillips (COP) and Marathon Oil Corp. (MRO), rallied, prompting many analysts to redraw their estimates for Anadarko. Many have noted that this discovery may very well be a “game changer” for the popular explorer [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

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The World’s Largest Natural Gas Producers

Posted on March 17, 2013 by

The natural gas industry has exploded in size over the past several years, as new production techniques have increased reserves and driven down the commodity’s price. With the United States potentially holding enough reserves to last a century at current consumption levels, many see natural gas as both an economical solution to a potential energy shortage, and an environmentally friendly alternative to coal and other dirty fossil fuels [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Academic Research, Actionable Ideas, Asset Allocation, Commodity Producers, Energy, Natural Gas | Leave a comment

Silver Slips As Economy Roars Forward

Posted on March 12, 2013 by

Silver prices have long been known for their volatility, as the precious metal rarely has a quiet day. As such, investors typically keep a close eye on the commodity. Though silver started off the year with a bang, it has since retreated, and it is now down about 5% on the year. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy has been surging, with the Down Jones Industrial Average breaking record highs last week [for more silver news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Asset Allocation, Commodity Futures, Precious Metals, Silver | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Contango Report: Commodities Facing Uphill Curves

Posted on March 11, 2013 by

Contango is a natural phenomenon in the world of commodity futures. Some view it as an evil that plagues the space, but in reality it is just another pattern that traders can profit from. Contango, simply put, is the process by which futures contracts get more expensive as the maturity dates get further out from spot. While this can hurt a long-term position, savvy traders can use this uphill curve to their advantage. Below, we outline several commodities exhibiting contango to help you make the best trading decisions for your portfolio [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Commodity Futures, Energy, Gold, Natural Gas, Palladium, Platinum, Precious Metals, Silver, Trading, Wheat | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What You Need To Know About Commodity Indexes

Posted on March 9, 2013 by

For many investors, index investing continues to draw support in most portfolios. The proponents of the passive style of investing continue to grow as the poor returns of the “lost decade” have shown that active investment management, for the most part, fails to the beat the market–especially once trading costs, fund fees and taxes are taken into account. As index investing is relatively passive, index funds usually have lower management fees and expenses than actively-managed funds. As such, the number of stock and bond index funds and ETFs continues to grow, and that growth is also spreading into the commodity space [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Academic Research, Actionable Ideas, Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, commodityHQ.edu, Energy, Industrial Metals, Precious Metals | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

5 MLPs With Payout Ratios Under 90%

Posted on March 8, 2013 by

Master Limited Partnerships (“MLPs”) are well known among investors for their stellar yields, but they can come at the cost of a high payout ratio. By comparing dividends to profits, the payout ratio is commonly used to determine the sustainability of a dividend yield. MLPs often have higher payout ratios due to their flow-through status, but investors should seek out payout ratios below 90% if they are concerned about long-term sustainability [for more MLP news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Asset Allocation, Commodity Producers, Energy, MLPs | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment