This week saw a lot of volatility in the commodity space, as ping pong news from Europe threw major assets back and forth. One of the best performers on the week was crude oil, which saw its price skyrocket from just above $88/barrel to as high as $94 intraday Tuesday. The fossil fuel took a hit on Wednesday due to increased supplies, but was able to recover and hold firm on its $90/barrel benchmark. Gold was another big mover, as it started off the week flat but soared on Tuesday on news that the European debt talks were not as productive as investors first thought. Though an agreement was finally reached, gold continued its upward climb towards the $1,740/oz. level, appreciating nearly $100 in just five trading sessions [see also Commodity Trading Trends: Crude Oil In Focus].
After a busy week in the investing world, we outline the three best commodity stories from around the web:
eBay Gets Physical With Gold & Silver Bullion Sales at Hard Asset Investor:
Purchasing gold and silver bullion has long been a popular way to hedge against market turmoil or to simply make a play on the rising prices of these precious metals. But for many investors, finding and acquiring these metals may seem out of reach to the average Joe, but that has all changed. Popular online bidding site eBay has now entered into this space with their Bullion Center to help investors purchase their favorite metals. Some may be skeptical about purchasing such an expensive asset from anyone but a major dealer, but an eBay spokeswoman ensured that “these sellers consistently meet high standards of service across various attributes, including fast shipping, as-described items and more”.
U.S. Turns on Taps to Export Liquefied Natural Gas at The Wall Street Journal:
America’s addiction to fossil fuels is no secret; our country consumes more crude oil than any other on the face of the earth. But while we consume more than our fair share of some of these resources, we also produce a great amount, especially when it comes to natural gas. This week saw a major development in our production of natural gas as the Houston-based energy company, Cheniere, signed a major new deal. The company has a new agreement with a U.K. gas producer to ship 3.5 million tons a year of LNG overseas, turning that tables on our country’s relatively low export to import ratio.
The Ultimate Guide To Solar Power Investing at CommodityHQ:
Solar investing has grown immensely in recent years as the industry has been rapidly expanding all over the world. But many investors still have a number of questions as to how the industry shakes down with all of the complex technologies and business relationships involved. This article answers your questions on how the solar industry works, where it is popular, as well as its future outlook and what parts of the economy it may impact.
Disclosure: No positions at time of writing.