Interesting story in the New York Times yesterday …
Shortages Threaten Farmers’ Key Tool: Fertilizer Some kinds of fertilizer have nearly tripled in price in the last year, keeping farmers from buying all they need. That is one of many factors contributing to a rise in food prices that, according to the United Nations’ World [...]
From the monthly archives:
April 2008
Gasoline could hit $7 a gallon in four years: CIBC Crude predicted to top $200 by 2012 on tight supplies, pushing gas higher SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Surging crude prices, which could surpass $200 a barrel in four years on tight supplies, could push gasoline prices to as high as $7 a gallon, CIBC [...]
In another sign of continuing fallout from the housing downturn, Home Depot is out this morning with some news. The home improvement retailer said it is:
* Shutting 15 U.S. locations, a move that affects 1,300 workers (some of whom will be offered work at other locations). The move will result in a $186 [...]
Phil and I talk a load of fertilizer in this week’s interview on HoweStreet.com.
http://tinyurl.com/3mq4pw Along with fertilizer, we also cover oil, gold … the usual suspects.
There’s a lot of economic data to digest today. So I’ll try to just hit on the major points:
* Both initial and continuing jobless claims rose in the most recent week. Initial filings were up 35,000 to 380,000 while continuing claims topped the 3 million mark. At 3.019 million, they are the highest [...]
It’s been a busy day on the data front. Here’s the scoop on today’s batch of news …
* Q1 GDP managed to come in positive – +0.6% vs. expectations for +0.5% and a Q4 reading of 0.6%. Personal consumption was a bit stronger than expected, at 1% vs. a Bloomberg forecast of 0.7%. But [...]
Just wanted to point out that one of my favorite Asian dividend stocks has been catching fire lately. Huaneng Power is up another 5% today, after posting a 14% one-day gain last Wednesday.
It looks to me like the shares have bottomed out and could easily return to the $40 level, especially on positive [...]
I could buy an electric car if I wanted to now. A new electric car dealership opened in my home town last week …
ZAP Electric Car, Truck Arrive in Florida Xebra, an electric four-door compact car or two-seat pickup that transforms into a flat-bed or a dump truck. The vehicle was designed for [...]
You don’t have to invest in a Chinese stock to participate in the booming Chinese economy. American companies are tripping over themselves to get a foothold in China and some offer significant exposure to China.
Praxair, the largest industrial gas supplier in the U.S., signed a deal to supply oxygen, nitrogen, and argon to [...]
Asia Cement is preparing to float its IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. If you’re interested in participating in the Chinese building boom, Asia Cement is certainly something you should be interested in.
