Putin’s Deguello
Streetwise Professor reports on Vladimir Putin’s “deguello*”:The island of stability theme is now longer operative ... with the world economy–through the commodity markets, most notably the oil market (as a seller) and the grain ... from Russian hands.Some things are somewhat changed. Today, international investors and currency traders [more...]
Date: 2009-01-07 10:05:33
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Has Oil Broken Down?
Commodities These commodity market blowups are becoming all-too-familiar in the last few years ... in a commodity turned into a buying frenzy, fueled at first by speculators caught up in the mere expectation ... at Alaron Trading in Chicago. SemGroup said in its bankruptcy filing that it had bet that crude [more...]
Date: 2008-07-24 16:38:58
Commodities jump alongside oil prices
By MADLEN READ NEW YORK (AP) — Metals and grains rose alongside energy prices in light trading Friday, after a nine-day plunge in oil encouraged investors to buy back into the struggling commodities market. But so far, there is little evidence that crude oil or other battered commodities [more...]
Date: 2008-12-27 14:09:19
Despite recent price rise, traders seeking tankers is bearish for oil
Filed under: International markets, Commodities, OilThose investors ready to position themselves in oil stocks, or perhaps even dabble in oil futures, may want to wait a while. Oil traders are seeking ... ." Dietz added that he was currently short unleaded gasoline, with a monthly contract. Continue reading [more...]
Date: 2009-01-07 18:45:00
Oil drops below $39 as commodities retreat
Oil drops below $39 as commodities retreatBy Chris FloodCopyright The Financial Times Limited 2009Published: January 12 2009 11:45 | Last updated: ... fell below the $39 a barrel level and base metals staged a broad retreat as commodity markets got ... package for its car industry in the near future with the scheme likely to include a reduction or [more...]
Date: 2009-01-12 15:48:00
Oil Prices and Speculation
The Washington Post says the scale of speculative activity in commodities markets is larger than previous estimates indicated: A Few Speculators Dominate Vast Market for Oil Trading, by David Cho, Washington Post ... helped industrial firms that needed oil to run their businesses. But when the Commodity Futures [more...]
Date: 2008-08-21 07:42:00
Bernanke's Testimony Apocalyptic (For Fed Chief)
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is testifying before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs ... have been compounded by rapid increases in the prices of energy and other commodities, which have sapped household ... , a softening labor market, and rising prices of oil, food, and some other commodities. Let [more...]
Date: 2008-07-15 14:34:00
Four at Four: Oil’s Rally Slips Away
No better an illustration of the market’s fickle expectations can be found than in the crude-oil market, ... , it created “a vacuum where the market just collapsed,” says Darin Newsom, DTN senior commodities analyst ... investment analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group in Pittsburgh [more...]
Date: 2009-01-07 21:52:18
WALL STREET CLOSES OUT 2008 WITH LIGHT GAINS
BY KEN SWEET As Wall Street prepares to close out its worst year since the Great Depression, stocks posted light gains Wednesday after traders got a labor market report that came in better ... of Christmas. In the commodity markets, oil gained $2.29 to $41.34 a barrel in New York while gold [more...]
Date: 2008-12-31 18:43:54
Oil falls to 3-year low on bleak US economic news
The contract plummeted overnight $5.15 to settle at $49.28 after more signs of a weakening U.S ... Index sliding 3.4 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index dropping 4.8 percent. Oil investors ... the same; consumption worries continue to depress the oil market,” said David Moore, commodity strategist [more...]
Date: 2008-12-02 10:03:07
Mika: Offshore Drilling Wouldn't Lower Gas Prices for Ten Years
Mika Brzezinski might be an Obama backer, but she really should sit down with Hillary Clinton. The woman who turned $1,000 into $100,000 could clue her in to the workings of the commodities markets. Be it cattle or crude oil, the concept's the same: these are "futures" markets in which [more...]
Date: 2008-07-15 11:11:46
More speculation about those oil speculators
I normally leave it to folks like Dean Baker to beat up on the press ... their businesses. But when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission examined Vitol's books last month ... in oil and a number of other commodity markets. The CFTC separates the holders of those contracts [more...]
Date: 2008-08-22 04:02:06
The Economy: Peter Schiff- "Beware the Bond Bubble"
“In the beginning, there was a Nasdaq bubble. When the air went rushing out of it, a housing bubble formed, ... in the emerging markets, in oil, and in other commodities. Pop, pop, pop, pop. Can there possibly ... Capital, a brokerage firm based in Connecticut. He's one of a small number of financial pros who called [more...]
Date: 2009-01-07 15:25:00
Commodities markets expected to stabilize in 2009
Commodities markets expected to stabilize in 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com – NEW YORK -- During the first six months of 2008, commodities looked to be the savior ... who had invested in oil, futures contracts were their undoing. [more...]
Date: 2008-12-29 23:10:48
Links 6/27/08
The 'value' of protecting whales BBC Researchers study hidden homicide trend PhysOrg Boston Suburb's `Taj Mahal' Brings Ban on Luxury High ... . This is a very good post for those interested in oil and commodities futures markets generally. Antidote du [more...]
Date: 2008-06-27 04:48:51
Guilty, until proven innocent
There's a new website available for those who prefer to "shoot first and ask questions later" when it comes to speculation in crude oil futures markets. Like many other complex issues ... are increasingly buying and selling commodities such as oil to sell again, rather than to use. As largely [more...]
Date: 2008-07-13 19:01:00
One Upside To The Economic Crisis: Cheap Gas
As the US dollar crashes and the financial markets around the world start to implode, we may see an happy side effect: cheap gas ... prices to several other measures, and concluded that crude oil is the most overpriced commodity ... higher than any other commodity. Relative to per capita income, oil prices would have to fall [more...]
Date: 2008-10-13 19:55:40
It's Not The Cheese That Costs so Much
I admit that I can still be astonished. When I watched '60 Minutes' last night I saw a big surprise report that I was right all along about oil ... the commodities futures market. At the New York Mercantile Exchange, it's traded alongside cotton [more...]
Date: 2009-01-12 19:28:09
Oil Prices Mixed As Market Focuses On Soft Demand
NEW YORK: Oil prices were mixed on Tuesday as market concerns about soft demand eclipsed supply concerns amid rising geopolitical tensions in the ... due to deepening geopolitical frictions, analysts said. The New York futures contract hit an intra ... of an economic recovery in 2009, hedge funds back on commodities and finally cold temperatures,” said [more...]
Date: 2009-01-07 03:30:26
Are Speculators Really That Bad for Commodities Markets? (pfblogs.org)
David Enke submits: Commodity index investors (ie, speculators) sold $39 billion worth of crude oil futures between the July market peaks and September 2nd, a time that saw a rapid sell-off in crude oil prices (see Independent.iearticle).Complete Story » ... [more...]
Date: 2008-09-12 11:41:59
Oil, commodities continue retreat on global economic slowdown concerns
Oil, commodities continue retreat on global economic slowdown concerns Posted Aug 8th 2008 11:25AM by Joseph Lazzaro Filed under: International markets, Forecasts, Other issues, Good news, CommoditiesOil continued its month-long decline Friday, as investors and traders reduced their stakes in the world's most vital commodity [more...]
Date: 2008-08-08 15:35:22
NYT's Krugman: Speculators schmeculators - demand is pushing oil higher, not traders
Filed under: International markets, Commodities, OilOne of the major economic debates on Main Street and in Washington concerns the influence of ... -- driven it higher than a level the commodity would trade at if the price were based solely on supply ... a commodity's price can rise a great deal, without the influence of speculators. His evidence: iron [more...]
Date: 2008-07-01 17:34:00
Oil Squeeze? Blame Yourself
The Journal’s Russell Gold reports: When it comes to the price of crude oil and gasoline, who is in the driver’s seat? One common answer is no one ... into the commodity futures market. All of this plays a role: the availability of supply, financial market interest in commodities, and don’t forget the strength of the U.S. dollar (the global [more...]
Date: 2008-09-03 18:43:00
Morning Brief: U.S. and Iraq nearing troop agreement
Morning Brief: U.S. and Iraq nearing troop agreement Thu, 08/21/2008 - 9:54am Top Story Khalid Mohammed - Pool/Getty Images U.S ... of speculators appear to rule the oil markets. According to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ... for the New York Times Magazine. Obama advisors Richard Clarke and Susan Rice slammed "quick-draw [more...]
Date: 2008-08-21 13:05:11
New Year’s rally for suckers, hold onto gold!
Order my book online from this link You have to imagine the hedge fund professionals playing it cool yesterday while the Dow rallied by 2 ... trading strategy. The numbers still look awful and the Dow is way too high given the outlook for losses ... in sight. Lower commodity prices, particularly oil, and some improvement to the credit markets [more...]
Date: 2009-01-03 07:34:54
Falling Down: Enviros Shouldn?t Sweat Lower Oil Prices
Falling oil prices generally aren’t good news for environmentalists ... question is how far oil can fall, and if that will be enough. Crude futures dropped below $90 a barrel ... to get cash to speculate in oil, or any other commodities market. OPEC president Chakib Khelil said [more...]
Date: 2008-10-06 19:55:00
a wise man spoke…
Back in the long gone days of Summer 2008, our gas prices were in the $4.00 range. Congress was looking in to the price of oil and why it had risen ... futures market, in which investors buy and sell promises to deliver oil at a later date, and claimed ... commodity futures — “is almost equal to the increase in demand from China.” Many economists scoffed [more...]
Date: 2008-12-24 04:13:22
Oil Speculators. WP: Regulators had long classified a private Swiss energy conglomerate called Vitol as a trader that primarily helped industrial firms that needed oil to run their businesses. But when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ... of fuel. Even more surprising to the commodities markets was the massive size of Vitol's portfolio [more...]
Date: 2008-08-21 13:45:50
Oil's Well That Ends Well
Well, no shit Sherlock speculation drove up the price of oil to obscene levels, as did the nonsense of "peak oil ... the commodities futures market. At the New York Mercantile Exchange, it's traded alongside cotton [more...]
Date: 2009-01-12 02:34:00
Oil Under $60 and Gasoline Approaching $2/Gallon. Gas Guzzlers Set for a Comeback?
Commodities markets are on an even wilder roller-coaster ride than the stock market and crude oil is leading the retreat ... . The AP reports that Thursday’s hit of inter-day low of $54.67 / barrel and closed at $58.24. That there is almost 2/3rds down from the summer’s near $150 peak. TFC Commodity Charts publishes ... [more...]
Date: 2008-11-14 12:21:02
Merrill’s Three ‘C’s for the Market
Could declining commodity prices be a major theme for the markets in the third quarter? Crude-oil futures are dropping like a stone this morning amid a strengthening dollar ... futures dropped as well, tumbling more than $12 to around $921 an ounce in recent Comex trading [more...]
Date: 2008-07-07 14:41:09
'60 Minutes': Did speculation fuel oil price?
There was an excellent item last night on 60 Minutes about the role speculators played in the oil price spike this summer ... problem was a result of the commodities markets being "invaded by a new breed of investor." "Approximately 60 to 70 percent of the oil contracts in the futures markets are now held by speculative [more...]
Date: 2009-01-12 06:26:00
Obama goes after McCain, oil speculation
by John McCormick Sen. Barack Obama's campaign went on the offensive again today on energy related matters, charging that a co-chairman for Sen ... said the provision in law exempts some energy traders from regulation and thus prevents the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from fully overseeing the oil futures market and investigating cases [more...]
Date: 2008-06-22 18:55:46
What Can Onions Teach Us About Oil Prices?
Onions have no futures market, yet their recent price volatility makes the swings in oil and corn look tame ... in a commodity not in today's news: onions. The bulbous root is the only commodity for which futures trading is banned. Back in 1958, onion growers convinced themselves that futures traders were [more...]
Date: 2008-06-29 15:52:02
Changing BRIC for BRAC: A new look for global investors
Changing BRIC for BRAC: A new look for global investors Posted Jul 25th 2008 10:35AM by Steven Halpern Filed under: International markets, India, China, Brazil, Russia, Newsletters, Canada, Commodities, Oil, Agriculture, Stocks to Buy ... economies and still face exceptional futures. "But their major resources are cheap labor, which [more...]
Date: 2008-07-25 10:35:00
SPECULATORS ARE NOT DRIVING UP OIL PRICES, REPORT SAYS
As Congress debates how to curtail the role of speculators and rein in rising oil prices, ... report by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission with help from six other agencies, including ... offer investors a future return linked to commodity markets, were roughly balanced between purchases [more...]
Date: 2008-07-25 13:21:56
Oil Scapegoat Update: CFTC Finally Finds Some Evil Speculators!
The Netherlands is known more for its bucolic landscapes, dotted with windmills and tulip beds, than for its connection to energy markets. But that's where the Commodities Futures Trading ... the CFTC launched its probe into irregularities in energy markets. FT: The Commodity Futures Trading [more...]
Date: 2008-07-24 18:13:00
The Price of Gas will soon be $1.50, right?
This will teach them, right? H.R. 6377 directs CFTC to use all its authority, including its emergency powers, immediately to curb the role of excessive speculation in the energy and swaps futures markets ... that an artificially high demand for essential commodities such as oil and corn has been created [more...]
Date: 2008-06-27 20:30:06
Commodities: Bear Market or Bounce?
By Martin Hutchinson Contributing Editor With oil off more than 20% from its July peak, and the Reuters-CRB Continuous Commodity Index down 19% from its June high, traders are betting that... Money Morning is here to help investors profit handsomely on this seismic shift [more...]
Date: 2008-08-27 02:42:30
Four at Four: OPEC Gets Burned
This is a situation the market has not witnessed in some time: declines in oil, the dollar, bond yields and stocks ... Scott Magnuson, commodity trading advisor at MF Global. “The perception of another six to seven ... Paul Brigandi, vice president of trading at Direxion Funds. macys_art_160_20081217161108.jpg [more...]
Date: 2008-12-17 12:26:00
Four at Four: OPEC Gets Burned
This is a situation the market has not witnessed in some time: declines in oil, the dollar, bond yields and stocks ... Scott Magnuson, commodity trading advisor at MF Global. “The perception of another six to seven ... Paul Brigandi, vice president of trading at Direxion Funds. macys_art_160_20081217161108.jpg [more...]
Date: 2008-12-17 12:26:00
Raymond J. Learsy: More About Speculation and Manipulation In Oil Trading
"Sacre Bleu!" (liberal translation: "Holy Cow!") The Wall Street Journal informs us that " ... Commodity-Market regulators are investigating whether energy market players are injecting false ... assets traders own and control. This all in keeping with the CFTC's previously announced nationwide [more...]
Date: 2008-09-05 20:24:15
The case for oil price speculation improves
U.C. San Diego economist Jim Hamilton has long argued that fundamental forces of supply and demand explain oil prices better than "speculation ... by David Cho, "A Few Speculators Dominate Vast Market for Oil Trading." Hamilton closed his dissection ... recently deemed by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to be more of a speculator than [more...]
Date: 2008-08-27 16:28:48
Naughty and nice in the oil markets
It’s an iconic scene, playing out in many movies from Trading Places and Wall Street to A Good Year (below) ... that hedging, rather than speculation, is at fault. Refiner SemGroup overinvested in oil futures ... investors tend to hold long positions in commodities as inflation hedges. Losses in stocks forced [more...]
Date: 2008-12-27 20:17:00
Don't Blame the Speculators; Without Futures Markets, Oil Might Be At $200 Instead of $135
Excerpts below from the Fortune Magazine article "Don't Blame the Oil Speculators: ... former U.S. Commodities Futures Trade Commission chief economist Gerald Gay. "No, they're clueless ... Misunderstanding of How Futures Markets Work": Here's a suggestion: The next time a Congressional committee [more...]
Date: 2008-06-28 02:03:05
Monday morning links
TOP STORIES World markets slump as Nikkei hits 26-year low - AP Rate cuts seen ahead, ... to Ask for U.S. Aid in Chrysler Merger Talks - Bloomberg Watch out for a big Commodities Boom ahead - Commodity Online MARKETS/INVESTING Oil falls below $60 a barrel - Telegraph Gold Drops as Investors [more...]
Date: 2008-10-27 13:42:00
Recession and Environment: Why Bother?
Recession and Environment: Why Bother? December 24, 2008 at 8:51 am by Gialome · Filed under Just Delhi, environment [ ... grain prices in the local markets. The daily consumer commodities prices rose by 20 percentage points ... form $140 a barrel to less than $100 a barrel. Over next one year, hopefully, commodities, oil [more...]
Date: 2008-12-24 03:21:39
U.S Market Update
- Equity markets have begun the week in positive territory, helped by declining commodity prices. Oil futures have shed about $4/bbl and gold has fallen this morning as the dollar has firmed ... % in Chicago led by Wheat while August natural gas is off close to 5% despite the formulation [more...]
Date: 2008-07-07 15:35:29
Speculators not to blame
In certain quarters people keep arguing that the surging oil and food prices are caused by speculative international investments in these commodities. People who understand how the market is working have always maintained that the principle effect of commodity futures is beneficial because they smooth extreme swings of prices [more...]
Date: 2008-07-11 05:22:11
Oil Traders: Don't Fence Us In
Investment bank and hedge fund representatives tell the Commodity Futures Trading Commission the oil market doesn't need more oversight [more...]
Date: 2008-06-17 00:51:19
