You could look at market cycles narrowly – just by keeping your eye on price movements. Or you can look at the Big Picture… all the connections between markets and the rest of the world… in the hopes of understanding what is BEHIND the price movements and where it might take them.

Friday, the Dow dropped 76 points. It’s probably going down soon… but maybe not yet. The Dow would have to rise to about 10,350 to equal the ’29 bounce. And heck, it’s not September yet. September is traditionally the worst month for investors… followed by October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July and August.

But what’s this? The morning news: Chinese stocks suffered their worst day since November – with the Shanghai index down 6%.

The rally is probably not over; still we wouldn’t want to be long when the market opens in New York this morning.

Many

...

Bald Eagle Energy, Inc., (BEEI.OB), a Texas based oil and gas exploration company, has its eyes on Alaska’s North Slope. The company is actively acquiring leases in the area, based upon two important facts:

• National and world demand for oil and gas will inevitably continue on an upward slope for years to come, in spite of the current economic slowdown, and in spite of efforts to move to non-fossil fuels.

• Alaska’s North Slope, and surrounding regions, represent America’s best major source of new energy, and will continue to play a major role in reaching the country’s goal of energy independence.

It’s no secret that America, and most of the world, floats on a sea of oil. And virtually every projection points to increased demand for the foreseeable future. Globalization, and the spread of free market economies, has spurred development like never before. And the recent economic

...

The dollar and the yen gained ground on Monday as grim Japanese data intensified global recession fears and encouraged buying of safer assets, while concerns about trouble in eastern Europe pressured the euro.

Figures showing Japan’s economy shank sharply in the final quarter of 2008, recording its biggest quarterly decline since 1974, helped perceived safe-haven currencies such as the dollar and the yen, propelling the dollar index to a two-month high.

Meanwhile, the lack of reference to yen strength in the final communique of Group of Seven finance ministers meeting in Rome at the weekend allowed investors to resume buying the Japanese currency.

“The data out of Japan was nothing short of shocking and there is a building sense that there are more problems ahead for the global economy,” IDEAglobal senior strategist Maurice Pomery said. This has helped support the dollar and the yen, he added.

…

IEA sees oil supply crunch as demand rises from 2010… Japan economy shrinks most since 1974… South Korean exports fall by a third… President Obama to sign stimulus bill on Tuesday

U.S. oil prices climbed towards $38 a barrel on Monday after the International Energy Agency (IEA) said there could be an oil market supply crunch from next year once global oil demand begins to recover.

The IEA warning gave upward momentum to a market undermined by a raft of bearish economic data from Asia.

Japan’s economy shrank in the last quarter by its most since the first oil crisis in 1974, hit by an unprecedented slump in exports, which is likely to lead to more calls for extra stimulus steps to fight the deepening recession.

The impact of the recession is also being felt in South Korea, where January exports dropped by a record

…

The Gas Prices Rollercoaster: Why Energy & Infrastructure Are Inextricably Combined

by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist, Investment U Friday, January 16, 2008: Issue #917

President-elect Obama takes office in less than a week’s time. While many will be watching closely to see how he handles the ongoing financial crisis, I’ll be equally interested to see how he handles a far more ominous one: our ongoing energy and infrastructure crisis.

Regular readers know I believe energy and infrastructure are inextricably combined. We need cheap energy to fuel sustained economic growth. And we need infrastructure in place to move and dispense the energy from its source to its destination. Today I’m going to give you a perfect example of how the two are intertwined, and how one can play off the other to create a positive benefit for all.

In the face of gas prices that are less than half of what they were only a

...

The year 2008 was for the global equity markets the worst in history. Capital outflow reached record 14 trillion dollars. The crisis of the financial system and the worst recession since 1970, froze investor confidence. MSCI index of global shares in the year fell by a record 44%.br /br /One of the worst performance posted stock market in Russia. Benchmark RTS Index closed the year 72% lower. The second worst result in the world has seen China's stock index, the SSE Composite lost a record 65% after the boom in 2006 and 2007 brought the growth of over 300%.br /br /In the U.S., the Dow Jones index ended the last trading day a profit of 2.2% over the year but lost 34% of which was the worst loss since the Great Depression in 1931. Only two titles, retailers Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) and Mc Donalds (MCD), closed the ...

Crude oil prices will likely remain low in the short term. Supply cuts will not keep pace with demand destruction in the near future. And that could send gas prices below $1 a gallon by Easter, says David Fessler. He gives two ways investors can turn their savings at the pump into big profits.

This from Investment U:

When I started driving, gasoline still contained lead and regular was selling for 29 cents a gallon. My father remembers 10 cents a gallon.

While it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see those prices again, you could see gasoline below $1 a gallon, and it just might hit $0.75 a gallon. It might not be in time for Christmas, but the Easter Bunny might leave it in your Easter Basket.

That’s not just wishful thinking on my part: The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) most recent monthly forecast (released just yesterday) indicates year-over-year global oil

...

Global Oil Demand: Are You Ready for Gasoline Under a Buck a Gallon?

by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist, Investment U Friday, December 12, 2008: Issue #900

When I started driving, gasoline still contained lead and regular was selling for 29 cents a gallon. My father remembers 10 cents a gallon.

While it’s highly unlikely we’ll ever see those prices again, you could see gasoline below $1 a gallon, and it just might hit $0.75 a gallon. It might not be in time for Christmas, but the Easter Bunny might leave it in your Easter Basket.

That’s not just wishful thinking on my part: The International Energy Agency’s (IEA) most recent monthly forecast (released just yesterday) indicates year-over-year global oil demand will shrink in 2008 for the first time in the last 25 years.

Why? Developed nations are skidding into recession and emerging nations have hit the brake pedal on economic growth. And when the United

...

Government mulls mortgage price-control plan… who needs the free market anyway? Dan Denning on the true meaning behind the recent bull market in bonds. Stocks rally on Beige Book release… did the Fed send us the wrong copy? Bill Gross on stock evaluation for the Brave New World of tomorrow. Byron King with anecdotal evidence that oil is well oversold.

The vomit approach continues at the Treasury. This time their throwing up historically low mortgages on the wall… just to see if they stick. The U.S. Treasury is considering a proposal to offer new mortgages at 4.5% through Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) and Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE). That’s a point and a half lower than the silly “free market” says it should be.

Should this mortgage plan come

...

Stratos Renewables Corporation is a California based company that is quickly developing ways to help countries achieve energy self-sufficiency through the use of sugarcane ethanol created from excess plant material.

Sugarcane ethanol was an alternative used by the United States 30 years ago when our country had an oil crisis. Sugarcane ethanol is a more attractive option than its corn-based counterpart for a variety of reasons. Simply put, sugarcane ethanol created from sugar is less expensive to produce than its corn-based ethanol, burns more cleanly, and ultimately creates more energy per equivalent unit. Sugarcane, which is the primary source of our sugarcane ethanol fuel, contains the highest starch content of any plant stock, enabling sugarcane ethanol yields nearly three times that of U.S. corn.

Besides financial benefits, sugarcane ethanol is also easier to produce than its counterpart. Sugarcane can be grown

...