Cocoa is one of the world’s most difficult commodities to produce. It can only grow in certain climates, at certain elevations, and only at certain times of the year. Additionally, it requires just the right amount of moisture. Too much rain would destroy the crop, while too little would starve it. (more…)
The fact that exercise is beneficial to the human body is nothing new. Doctors and researchers, however, are still unsure of the exact mechanism by which this occurs. If the biological explanation for healthy living were known, perhaps it could be achieved by synthetic substances or reversed when seen to be occurring. The answer may lie in the telomere. (more…)
South Africa, which is currently mired in an electricity shortage, has placed supply constraints on gold and platinum, two of the major commodities which it produces. Monday saw gold prices rise to just below $930/oz, before settling at $926.60, up $16 on the day. Platinum had an even bigger day, jump $34 to $1714. (more…)
In another positive for Brazil, the country’s national energy company, Petrobras has announced a huge natural gas discovery 290 km off Rio De Janeiro. The field exists about 17,000 feet below the surface of the Ocean, and initial estimates place the natural gas reserves to be very large in size. Nicknamed, Jupiter, the Brazilians hope the field can reduce its dependence on imported natural gas. (more…)
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/01/21/binladen.son/index.html
The above article provides an interesting revelation into the mind of both Bin Laden and his son, Omar. (more…)
The Martin Luther King holiday was no day on the beach for international investors. Stock markets across the globe got crushed, with many indexes shedding 7-8% in a single day. India’s Sensex index had its 2nd biggest percentage decline ever, losing 7.4%, a good day compared with the overall market in that country. The Bombay stock 500 IDX ended the day down nearly 10%. (more…)
After being one of the best performing markets in the world the last 3 years, the Australian S&P/ASX 200 index has now been down every day for the past 2 weeks. The record breaking run has taken the index to 5720, after hitting a record of 6750 in November of 2007. Since hitting that record high just 2 months ago, the index has lost 1000 points in less than 50 trading session, and is approaching a 52 week low. Friday’s mere 27 point loss saw less than 25% of the index close up for the day. Energy and financials led the way down with Aquarius Platinum down 5.6% and Beach Petroleum down over 7%. (more…)
While debates rage on about which hotel is the nicest in all of Las Vegas, my favorite is without a doubt the Venetian. The Italian style theme with the gandola, the painted blue skies and the overall beautiful atmosphere is my vote for #1. The Bellagio, which seems (more…)
Soybeans are at an all time high, thanks to increased worldwide demand and poor crop harvests in Argentina and Brazil. With prices near $13.00/barrel, the commodity is up 90% in the past 12 months (more…)
With gold hogging all the headlines lately, it can be easy to forget that the platinum has also been along for the ride up. Like the quiet little girl in the back of a car full of rowdy 8 year old boys, platinum has been on a straight line up since August of last year. Starting at around $1200/oz, the precious metal is just slightly below $1600/oz. after today’s trading session. (more…)