Highlights include Petroleo Brasileiro SA (PBR), China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (SNP), Vale (RIO), Cosan Limited (CZZ) and Gerdau SA (GGB).China Continues to Pursue Long-Term Investments in CommoditiesYesterday, leading Japanese business newspaper Nikkei informed that China is considering a plan to use part of its US$2 trillion reserves to buy oil reserves and diversify its international investments, reducing the exposure to U.S. bonds. Currently 2/3 of the Chinese reserves are denominated in U.S. dollars.If this plan is approved, we foresee two direct consequences: (i) Oil prices should recover, leading the way to other commodity price increases, and (ii) the U.S. dollar should fall against international currencies like the Yen and the Euro, a development that would also be positive for commodities prices in general, since they are all negotiated in U.S. dollars -- thus a lower dollar would ...

GoldDrivers 2009 – Extraordinary Bullish Outlook for Gold

By: Eric Hommelberg ldSeek.com

Dollar topping out Physical demand skyrocketing Supply chain shutting down COMEX Gold Manipulation exposed Gold shares on the move again

It sure has been a brutal year for gold and its shares and many may wonder if the $1030 top clocked in March 2008 marked the top for the gold bull market that started in April 2001. Despite the fact that many analysts want you to believe that gold has failed to act as a

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Oil Over $143; GM Falls to 54-year Low; Starbucks Closes 600 Stores; Nikkei Post 10th Straight Loss; United Health Lands in the Emergency Ward; 900 American Flight Attendants on Standby; Blockbuster Abandons Bid; Microsoft at it Again; Crude futures closed yesterday (Wednesday) at a record $143.57 a barrel in New York after the U.S. Department of Energy announced a 2 million barrel decline in supply last week. Earlier, crude had traded for as high as $143.91 on Globex, MarketWatch reported. Shares of General Motors Corp. (GM) plunged Wednesday to their lowest level in 54 years yesterday (Wednesday), as investors shrugged off better-than-expected June sales and analysts raised concerns about the company’s cash needs, The Associated Press reported. In afternoon trading, GM shares fell as low as $9.98, their lowest level since hitting $10.36 a share on Sept. 21, 1954. Starbucks ...

What to watch: Thursday, May 29: U.S. Revised Q1 GDP; Friday, May 30: CPI for April (May for select metropolitan areas); April - Industrial Production; April - Household income and expenditure survey; April - New housing starts; April - Unemployment and Ratio of Job Offers to Applicants Ongoing: Commodities and forex volatility — more inflation reporting chicanery. Protectionist tendencies may be pressured by a report (and the realization) of $3.2 billion in cross-shareholding losses in FY2007, as well as greater urgency from within for acceptance of foreign investment. In the meantime, we can enjoy watching the latest round of TCI (The Children’s Investment Fund (UK)) vs. J-Power (JP: 9513). Markets: The Nikkei starts the week against a shortened U.S. trading week for the Memorial Day holiday. Making matters worse is last Friday’s bout of selling that did ...