Posts By Eric
Daily Commodity Roundup: Wheat Surges On Crop Issues, Cattle Tumbles On Demand Fears
American markets started the day on a high note only to finish the much closer to the breakeven level as traders digested testimony from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. In his report, the Chairman suggested that another round of stimulative measures wasn’t completely out of the question and that more ‘untested’ methods may be used to bring the economic growth rate back up. Utilities were one of the losers on the day while traders continued to push into the basic materials and services sector as strong prices for natural resources and hopes for more easing carried the riskier sectors higher on the day.
Daily Commodity Roundup: Sugar Surges On Crop Concerns, Cotton Continues Tumble On Demand Fears
American markets floated upwards for much of Tuesday’s session until right before the close when Moody’s downgraded Ireland to ‘junk’ pushing equities sharply lower to close out the day. The heaviest losses came in the technology sector as the Nasdaq underperformed its counterparts, led lower by a nearly 1.7% loss in both Intel and Oracle. Utilities and basic materials, however, did manage to have solid days led by strength in natural resource prices and a desire for more safe haven investments in the space. Global markets were also in the red pretty much across the board as the Asia-Pacific region started the day with a nearly 1.8% loss in Australia and Shanghai, followed by a 3% tumble in the Hang Seng exchange. Meanwhile, in Europe, most benchmarks finished lower by about one percent although the Italian exchange did make back some of its losses, gaining 1.2% in Tuesday trading.
Daily Commodity Roundup: Cotton Plunges On Dollar Strength, Lean Hogs Soar On Chinese Demand
U.S. markets had a rough start to the week as fears over debt loads in Europe sent many investors running for safe havens. Losses were pretty much across the board in American equity markets as financials did the worst while health care came out relatively unscathed. Internationally, Asia started the day on a down note as the Hang Seng and the S&P ASX both finished the day lower by about 1.5% while Europe outdid their Asian counterparts as the French and German indexes both fell by over 2.3% while the Italian benchmark plunged by close to 4% on worries over that country’s debt. As a result of this international turmoil, many investors fled to safe havens such as the U.S. dollar and Treasury bonds, helping to send yields much lower on the day for most maturity levels of American debt. Unsurprisingly, this led to a risk off trade in commodities, … See the full story here
Daily Commodity Roundup: Natural Gas Tumbles On Weather Outlook, Silver Rises On Safe Haven Demand
American equity markets rose modestly in Wednesday trading as worries over Greece and Portugal were overshadowed by solid performances out of blue chips in the consumer and the technology sectors. International markets were more mixed, however, as European indexes saw red across the board while Asia saw gains in Japan and Australia, but losses in India and China. In currency markets, the U.S. dollar gained against most of its major counterparts, led by a 1% gain against both the euro and British pound, ahead of the key central bank meetings for both of these currencies tomorrow. This made it a rough day for many commodities as the UBS Bloomberg CMCI, the RJ/CRB Commodity, and the Rogers International indexes all saw losses on the day, although the S&P GSCI index did manage to rise by about 11 points in the session.
The Ultimate Guide To Wheat Investing
Wheat is one of the oldest, and arguably the most important crops in the world, primarily responsible for man’s movement to the cities in ancient times. The crop is relatively easy to grow, can flourish in a multitude of environments, and the crop tends to stay fresh for a long time, allowing food to be stored for a long-period. Today, wheat is one of the three most consumed grains in the world, second only to rice in terms of human consumption at just over 680 million tons a year [see also The Guide To The Biggest Companies In Every Major Commodity Sector].
Ultimate Guide To Coal Investing
Coal has been mined across the world since the Bronze Age, becoming an important commodity during Roman times, especially in what is today Great Britain. However, the true Golden Age of coal began with the start of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and North America in the late 1700′s and early 1800′s. Coal was cheaper than wood for fuel and nearly as abundant, helping to power steam engines across the continent and get the world’s economy going into the industrial age. After the steam engine, coal became an important fuel source for the modern electric utility company, which can trace its start back to the early 1880′s. Once again, coal was an abundant fuel source that was easy to burn and turn into electricity, ensuring that the mineral became one of the most popular ways for mankind to power their homes and businesses.
Global X Debuts Fertilizer ETF (SOIL)
This article originally appeared on ETFdb.com. Global X notched another ETF industry first on Thursday, debuting a fund that focuses on companies globally that are engaged in some aspect of the fertilizer industry. The Global X Fertilizers/Potash ETF (SOIL) seeks to replicate the Solactive Global Fertilizers/Potash Index, a benchmark that includes about 29 companies from both developed and emerging markets.
