Citi’s Energy Outlook For 2013
Considering this year’s rather volatile performance, one thing can be agreed upon by almost all investors – commodity investing is essentially a crap shoot. This year’s unprecedented summer drought and escalated geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have wreaked havoc on commodity markets, leaving some lucky investors with profitable returns and others with steep losses. Overall, however, commodities have been experiencing a steady uptrend for quite some time, as global demand has continuously inched higher despite the recent economic slowdown. In a recent statement, global head of commodities research at Citigroup Edward Morse warned that the “commodity super-cycle” is over and that “no longer will a pure long-only strategy bring the returns expected in 2002 to 2008, nor will conditions approximating those of the last decade return anytime soon” [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Get Ready To Buy Natural Gas
The winter months typically see demand kick up for natural gas, which is often reflected in the higher prices. But last year’s unseasonably warm winter put downward pressure on NG and its related investments alike. In fact, the United States suffered the warmest 12-month span in its history (as far back as records have been kept) between 2011 and 2012, making it very difficult for this commodity to get going. Unfortunately, the first part of the coming winter does not look to be shaping up much better [for more natural gas news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Halloween Special: Three Terrifying Commodity ETF Performances
As markets re-open their doors on Halloween, investors will be scrambling to make up for lost time. But while today’s trading will be in a frenzy, we wanted to take Halloween day to look back on some of the more frightening commodity performances over the past few years. We found three of the worst commodity ETFs in the trailing five years to give you your share of terror on this holiday [for more commodity ETF news subscribe to our free newsletter].
Commodities To Watch in Sandy’s Wake
Markets were closed late last night in preparation for hurricane Sandy, as the storm has its sights set on the east coast. With approximately 50 million people in its projected path, Sandy is predicted to dump unprecedented amounts of rain that could cause an 11 foot rise in some areas of the coast line. “From North Carolina to Maine, forecasters warned that Sandy was likely to collide with a cold front and spawn a “superstorm” that could generate flash floods, snowstorms and massive power outages” write Chelsea J. Carter and Josh Levs.
How Much Money Your Favorite Commodity ETFs Make
ETF investing turned the commodity world from a difficult-to-reach asset class to exposure that any retail investor could quickly add to their portfolio. The years have seen a number of innovative products come and go, but through thick and thin a select group of funds have broken away from the rest, as they have maintained their popularity. And just like any other business, these funds need to make money to stay open (and to hopefully make you money), as they have plenty of operating costs to take care of [for more commodity ETF analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
Natural Gas as Volatile as Ever
After being declared one of the worst investments of the last few years, natural gas seemed to finally find its footing in 2012. The fossil fuel surged through the end of summer, marking a 70% jump in just a few short months, only to watch its price cool back down during August. From there, it has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride for this asset and its traders, as NG has been all over the place in the last two months [for more natural gas news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].
