By Ron Plain – According to USDA/NASS, there were 69,420 hog operations in the U.S. in 2004. That was 4,300 fewer than in 2003 and 591,130 fewer than in 1980, the last year in which the number of hog farms increased. The percentage decline in farm numbers from 2003 to 2004, 5.8%, was much smaller […]
Archive | livestock
The Bull Runs in Commodities
That’s the belief of Investment Biker author Jim Rogers, who recommends coffee and sugar futures, instead of stocks and bonds For the next decade, the best investment action will be in commodities. That’s the view of Jim Rogers — famous for Investment Biker, a chronicle of his motorcycle trip around the world exploring far-off lands […]
10/11 – Sorting It Out
By Karen Ballhagen – Thinking about the upcoming week? What factors will likely have the biggest impact or what hidden surprises could sneak up and surprise the markets this week? Grab a cup of coffee, let’s dig in and take a look… Grain Talk Corn: Grain traders this week are under the influence of the […]
Commodities: Beyond Pork Bellies
By Amey Stone – Surging prices in staples such as oil, gold, and corn are catching investors’ eyes. The rewards can be great, if you know how to play Although commodities investing is pretty much the same as it always has been, you sure wouldn’t know it from the buzz these days. It’s suddenly one […]
Inflation or Deflation? No! Inflation and Deflation!
By Jay Taylor – We Americans are such simpleminded folks. We think in terms of black or white, never in terms of gray, as if everything has to be either good or bad, on or off, or up or down. This leaves us utterly prone to totalitarian slogans and simple answers to problems. So we […]
Reality of freight futures
By David Hughes – SHIPPING is risky business. Apart from the physical dangers in carrying people and goods across the oceans, the shipping market is volatile and subject to cyclical booms and slumps. Owners, at least those in the bulk trades, have always had to worry about either being locked into comparatively unprofitable use of […]
Oil prices soar, lumber strong, gold up
CHICAGO (Reuters) – Crude oil prices set 13-year highs and gasoline prices set another record Wednesday on worries about potential supply problems this summer due to ongoing violence in Iraq and the Middle East. The dollar stumbled Wednesday, making dollar-denominated metals like gold and copper more attractive to overseas buyers. Lumber prices soared on a […]