Commodity Stock in Focus: Alliance Resource Partners (ARLP)

Mining stocks have received a lot of attention over recent years, as more and more investors have been turning to this sector in search of attractive returns. But as witnessed last year, mining companies in particular can quickly make a turn for the worse, with rising operational costs and falling commodity prices making big impacts on bottom line returns [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Coal, Commodity Producers, Energy | Tagged | Leave a comment

Checking in on the Worst Commodities of 2012

2013 was undoubtedly a rough year for commodities, particularly for precious metals like gold and silver. There were, however, some bright spots in the space, including cocoa, soybean meal, orange juice, gasoline, and brent. For the coming year, analysts remain rather pessimistic on the broad commodity market. Goldman Sachs analysts have noted: “Last year, we pointed to the ongoing shift in our commodity views, ultimately towards downside price risk. The impact of supply responses to the period of extraordinary price pressure continues to flow through the system.” [For more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Agriculture, Coal, Coffee, Commodity Futures, Energy, Natural Gas, Sugar | Leave a comment

Major Commodity Earnings On Tap: EPB, KMI, SLB

With Alcoa (AA) kicking off earnings season this week, investors will be keeping a close eye on the results of their favorite commodity stocks. On Tuesday, the largest U.S. aluminum producer reported a profit of $24 million in the third quarter – a significant uptick from the $143 million loss reported a year ago. Revenues for the company came in at $5.765 billion, beating analyst estimates of $5.66 billion; Alcoa’s Q3 EPS of $0.11 also beat estimates by $0.06. In the coming week, investors will once again comb through a slew of earnings reports, but what is perhaps more important than the reports themselves is the particular outlook that each company provides [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Coal, Commodity Producers, Earnings, Earnings Reports, Energy, Industrial Metals, MLPs, Natural Gas, Steel, WTI | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Ukraine Ignores Russian Threats Against New EU Trade Deal

In the commodity world, trade agreements and regulations can either make or break a particular market. Whether it be new alliances, tariffs, or taxes, each decision made by commodity producing countries can have a significant and material impact on the flow of goods and natural resources. Over recent years, one country has struggled to take a concrete stance on its trade agreements, going back and forth between new and forward-looking trade ventures to the West and its long and tangled ties with its neighbor (and once oppressor). This week, however, Ukraine finally took a stand against Russia, giving the formal go-ahead for its landmark trade deal with the European Union [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Academic Research, Actionable Ideas, Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Brent Oil, Coal, Cotton, Energy, Industrial Metals, Natural Gas, Steel, Sugar, Wheat, WTI | Leave a comment

BHB Billiton Looks To Expand Coal Operations (BHP)

When it comes to commodity stocks, there is perhaps no name more prolific than BHP Billiton Ltd (BHP). The Australian-based natural resource giant has operations across the world and has its hands in everything from iron ore and natural gas to aluminum and diamond mining. And while the company’s over 150-year history is certainly a testament to its success, BHP Billiton has recently fallen out of favor with commodity investors, as concerns over falling revenue have come to the forefront [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

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BP Energy Report: U.S. Production On The Rise, Global Demand Slows

While the global economic slowdown has impacted nearly every corner of the investable universe, one commodity group that has been hit particularly hard has been energy. Oil, gas, coal, and even nuclear power have all fallen victim to sluggish economic growth and dwindling global demand. And in its annual energy report, BP takes a closer look at how exactly the global recession has impacted the supply and demand of some of the most widely-traded commodities on the market [for more energy news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Asset Allocation, Brent Oil, Coal, Commodity Futures, Data Releases, Energy, Gasoline, Natural Gas, Nuclear, WTI | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Uncertain Future For Coal

It used to be that coal dominated energy consumption around the world, as this fossil fuel was both abundant and relatively cheap to use. But as big oil stepped in, the past few decades have seen dependence on coal cool off. In more recent years, coal has taken an even bigger hit as developed countries have attacked the fuel source for its negative environmental impact. As fracking continues to pick up steam and alternative energy sources enjoy growth, many are left wondering what the future holds for coal [for more coal news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Asset Allocation, Coal, Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Energy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Commodity Growth: All Eyes On China

As markets continue to roar forward, many investors have turned their gaze toward the commodity world, wondering how this asset class will fare after a “super-cycle” filled with gains. While there are a number of important factors at play, it is widely agreed that China will have a significant impact on the future of some of the world’s most popular hard assets. What is not widely agreed upon, is whether or not the Chinese economy will hinder or enable commodities going forward, as the emerging nation has seen its economy cool off [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Coal, Commodity Producers, Energy | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

13 High-Yielding Commodities For 2013

As many individual investors have taken a cue from professional and institutional money managers, alternative investments have gone mainstream – and commodities lead the trend. Interest in this asset class has exploded as individual retail investors have discovered commodities’ vast benefits, like low correlation to equities and bonds, inflation-fighting capabilities and their ability to profit from some of the world’s fastest-growing emerging markets. These benefits have made funds like the  PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund (DBC) popular holdings in many portfolios [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Asset Allocation, Coal, Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Commodity Producers, Dividends, Energy, Gold, Hard Assets, Industrial Metals, Lumber, MLPs, Natural Gas, Precious Metals, Steel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A Deeper Look At Brazil’s Commodity Industry

Due to better governance practices and a commodity boom, Brazil’s economy has enjoyed incredible growth over the past 20 years. Brazil is now the largest economy in Latin America and the sixth or seventh largest economy depending upon the metric used. On the other hand, while Brazil’s GDP per capita has improved, it still ranks at a relatively low 64th in the world – meaning that it is a large economy, but not an especially wealthy one yet (at least not uniformly so). While Brazil has made a concerted effort to build up its manufacturing sector (and reduce the risk of being trapped as a commodity-driven economy), minerals, energy and agriculture are still very significant to the Brazilian economy, as well as the larger global economy [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Academic Research, Agriculture, Aluminum, Biofuels, Coal, Coffee, Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Commodity Producers, Copper, Corn, Energy, Gold, Industrial Metals, Natural Gas, Precious Metals, Soybeans, Steel, Sugar, Wheat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments
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