ShariaShares ETF Trust last week applied to register the first two Sharia-law-compliant U.S.-traded ETFs.

ShariahShares FTSE USA Fund and the ShariahShares FTSE Developed ex-U.S. Fund will invest in foreign and domestic companies that meet the stringent requirements of Sharia law.

ShariaShares FTSE USA Fund will track the FTSE Sharia USA Index, which comprises 241 mid- and large-cap U.S.-traded shares.

ShariaShares FTSE Developed ex-U.S. Fund will track the FTSE Sharia Developed ex-U.S. Index, a market-cap weighted index which comprises stocks from 25 of the 48 countries in the FTSE GEIS Index Series.

The exchange-traded funds will be permitted to invest 80 percent of their assets in underlying securities, and 20 percent in futures and options contracts

In keeping with Sharia law, the funds will not be allowed to invest in non-Islamic

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ShariahShares ETF Trust last week applied to register the two Sharia-law-compliant U.S.-traded ETFs.

[Correction: An earlier version of this article suggested that the new ShariahShares would be the first Shariah ETFs in the U.S.  The Javelin ETF (NYSE Arca: JVS) launched in June of this year and provides exposure to the global ex-U.S. markets.]

ShariahShares FTSE USA Fund and the ShariahShares FTSE Developed ex-U.S. Fund will invest in foreign and domestic companies that meet the stringent requirements of Sharia law.

ShariahShares FTSE USA Fund will track the FTSE Shariah USA Index, which comprises 241 mid- and large-cap U.S.-traded shares.

ShariahShares FTSE Developed ex-U.S. Fund will track the FTSE Shariah Developed ex-U.S. Index, a market-cap weighted index which comprises stocks from 25 of the 48 countries in the FTSE

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Stocks highlighted in this article include: Diamond Foods, Inc. (...

Stocks highlighted in this article include: Diamond Foods, Inc. (...

a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_28p7XDn4Qb0/STRCIYwVvHI/AAAAAAAABU4/xrf87FZCn6s/s1600-h/spaghetti.jpg"img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 149px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_28p7XDn4Qb0/STRCIYwVvHI/AAAAAAAABU4/xrf87FZCn6s/s200/spaghetti.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274913775409282162" border="0" //abr /The biggest pasta producer in North America is American Italian Pasta Company (AIPC). Is is already 20 years since Missouri based company was founded. Year 2008 is a successful milestone in company's history as most of other stocks are turning to deep red return. Last month AIPC had finally left Pink Sheet after 2 years trading below $10 and became listed on NASDAQ.br /br /American Italian Pasta Company is in defensive sector Consumer Staples as other food producers. Nestle (NSRGY.PK), Kraft Foods (KFT) or Heinz (HNZ) didn't performed bad compared to other sectors but still with negative YTD return. Shares of AIPC have something around 110% performance since the beginning of the year and is one of the best performing stocks this year.div class="blogger-post-footer"http://stockweb.blogspot.com/atom.xml/div pa href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/yX4o36Vu6CuMYoYnNQGGBupWRJs/a"img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/yX4o36Vu6CuMYoYnNQGGBupWRJs/i" ...

Two of the top emerging markets are grappling with food production and costs - resulting in higher prices in the months to come. The outlook for China and Brazil could portend higher grain prices, giving investors a chance to cash in on a potential rebound.

China’s higher food costs would result from a regulatory change, while Brazil’s food supply is feeling the pinch of tighter credit. In both cases, grain supplies will be affected.

In China, the government scrapped its 11-month interim price control measures on grain and some food products starting from this month after inflation began to drop.

Inflation had taken its toll on Chinese consumers, with food the biggest contributor to lower consumer spending.

For example, in January of this year food prices in China bolted a staggering 18.2% over the previous year as consumer prices rose 7.1%. By April, food prices were up 22.1% over the same period in 2007

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Compass Minerals International Inc. (CMP) has just posted historic earnings. Earnings per share rose sharply on increased sales volume and the company is expanding into a growing market.

Company Description

Compass Minerals is the largest producer of rock, or highway deicing, salt in North America and the United Kingdom and operates the largest highway deicing salt mines in these regions.

The company is also the third largest producer of general trade salt in North America and the second largest in the United Kingdom, serving major retailers, agricultural cooperatives and food producers.

In addition, Compass is the largest producer of sulfate of potash in North America, which is used in the production of specialty fertilizers.

Historic Quarter

Compass Minerals announced the best quarterly performance in company history on Oct 28. Earnings per share more than quadrupled coming in at 87 cents, up from

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Brazil's state-owned National Supplies Co. will auction 55,000 metric tons of rice today, the country's ministry of agriculture said yesterday. The government currently has a stock of 1.4 million tons of rice, equivalent to 10 percent of Brazil's annual consumption. The stocks to be auctioned are held in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina states.The measure is an attempt to keep prices down and establish a reference price for rice, the statement said, citing Paulo Morceli, basic foods manager of Conab, as the supplies company is known. According to information on the Conab Web site, the rice will be auctioned at 28 reais ($16.98) for a 50-kilogram bag.The most recent decision of the Brzilian government is just one more example of the way national governments are coming under pressure to offer a response to what is now a global problem: the rising demand for energy ...