Latin America is widely regarded as a growth play in the equity markets. The explanation for this view is that the region is a commodity producer -- agricultural goods in Brazil and Argentina, metals in Brazil, Chile and Peru, oil in Venezuela and Ecuador, natural gas in Bolivia, etc.In general, that's a fair vision. However it must be better understood. Not all commodities are the same, and not all countries have the same economic policy or the same stage of developmentIt is well known that there is a high correlation between economic growth and commodities prices. In the past few years, this correlation has increased since the main source of growth was the emerging economies, in which economic growth is more intensive in commodities. For the future, we expect this correlation to increase even more, as emerging economies will keep on leading the growth and ...

We think it is an excellent time to hit the car lots. Sales are slow, inventories are high, raw materials (steel, chemicals, plastic, rubber) are depressed, and interest rates are near zero. Demand is off due to the credit crunch. Dealers and manufacturers are hurting and are hungry for business.

The following list is our list of favorites from the San Diego Car Show. This is our list of All Pros (some are Hall of Famers) from the half a thousand vehicles from around the planet on display there.

Despite the bad publicity recently, Chevrolet and Chrysler have some of the best products in the market. The non-Chevy part of General Motors (GM) must be restructured. Also, Honda (HMC) has emerged to be a Big-4 player in the US. They work and act more domestic than even Chrysler.

We were disappointed with Ford (F), Toyota (TM) and Nissan (

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pJan 6, 2009 (WALL STREET JOURNAL) -- In an early sign that some steel prices may have bottomed out, steelmakers in the U.S., China and some other countries are attempting limited price increases and reopening a handful of mills that were closed because of weak demand a few months ago./ppnbsp;/ppIt isn't clear whether the price increases will stick, however. Steel sellers often announce price increases or special surcharges, only to relent in the face of customer opposition or if rivals don't follow suit. Nor is it clear whether the price increases reflect more demand or lower inventories.br /nbsp;/ppTroubled auto makers, contractors, appliance and equipment makers have cut back on their steel purchases. The majority of mills closed over the last few months remain shuttered and many around the world are operating below 50% of their capacity./ppnbsp;/ppBut steelmakers signaled cautious optimism that there is enough demand to support price increases in ...

A Wall Street Journal article published today (1/7/09) talks about recent efforts of steel producers around the world to open up select mills, in a sign that the market for steel may have bottomed. From their mid-2008 highs, steel and iron ore prices have slipped 40% as a weakening global economy and financial crisis has slowed demand for cars, houses and other durable goods. However, there are many factors that suggest that this commodity, so heavily correlated to economic activity, may have bottomed and may gain steam in 2009.Since the decline in global steel prices, producers have been quick to cut production. Several global steel/iron ore producers such as ArcelorMittal (MT), AK Steel Holdings (AKS), BHP Billiton (BHP) and Baosteel Group have cut 2009 production by 25-30%, hoping to stem further price deterioration.Producers have been opening mills back up selectively, ...

div style="text-align: justify;"Goldman Sachs is upgrading span style="font-weight: bold;"AK Steel (NYSE:AKS) /spanto Buy from Neutral and adding it to thebr /Americas Conviction Buy List. They recommend AKS for near-term to medium-term investors primarily due to its high sensitivity to steel prices. Its electrical steel segment should remain highly profitable and should get a boost from global stimulus packages, particularly in China. Firm's new 6- month P/E and EV/EBITDA based target price of $15 (increased from $9) implies the highest potential upside in their coverage of 34%. It should also benefit from lower iron ore prices next year.br /br /span style="font-weight: bold;"Goldman notes they see steel prices at an inflection point /spanbr /They remain positive on the steel sector in the near-term owing to impressive supply discipline exhibited by the industry around the world which has helped prices to bottom at a significantly higher level than other commodities. Firm estimates that ...

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories is a biotechnology company primarily focused on pursuing a unique protein expression system with the objective of producing the next generation of technical fibers. The company is utilizing state of the art genetic techniques in order to develop a transgenic silkworm capable of producing commercially viable amounts of spider silk.

Spider silk is known as one of the strongest fibers found in nature. The fiber is extremely elastic and resilient and has several properties that are unmatched by even the most exotic of man-made fibers. Spider silk has an unparalleled ability to absorb energy and dissipate it in a very controlled manner, making it especially attractive for applications where energy absorption is a key design factor.

One of spider silk’s most significant properties is its extreme resistance to breaking under strain. This characteristic makes spider silk particularly appealing for use as a “super fiber.”

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This article cites the following companies: AAON (AAON), Granite Construction (GVA), Perini (PCR) and URS Corp. (URS).The cover of a recent issue of the construction weekly Engineering News-Record (ENR) heralds the event: "PRICES PLUNGE!!!"For the first time in a long time, the cost of just about everything the Engineering & Construction (E&C) Sector uses is finally falling. Some examples for the month of December, 2008: standard structural shapes - off by 1.1%; grade 60, #4 re-bar - down 0.8%; 14 gauge stainless -- a drop of 2.6%; and the list goes on. Overall, material costs declined by 2.9%.This is good news for the E&C sector because it reduces the value of the bids the companies make, without affecting the direct charges of company personnel assigned to a project. In tough times, if the cost of materials declines, then there are more funds left ...

The steel business faces its biggest hurdle in 60 years with some analysts predicting double digit production cuts in 2009. Now, a sudden change in China trade policy may spell even more trouble for Western steelmakers, as Beijing is currently considering measures to shore up its ailing steel industry with new export policies.

According to World Steel Dynamics, a U.S. steel consulting firm, steel production could fall next year by 13.9% compared with this year. This downturn comes after a long period of growth in the steel industry. In fact, output has grown every year since 1998 - soaring from 777 million metric tons a decade ago to 1.34 billion metric tons in 2007.

The catalyst behind the expansion has been a robust world economy and a steep rise in demand in China - by far the world’s biggest steel producing and consuming nation, accounting for more than a third

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BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE:BHP) is getting stronger, says Horacio Marquez, even as commodity prices slump. With its low costs and diversified operations, the natural resources producer is well positioned to ride out the credit crisis. And when commodity prices rebound next year, Horacio says BHP will lead the recovery. He recommends buying shares at today’s distressed prices, and holding for big long-term profits.

This from Money Morning:

With BHP Billiton Ltd. (NYSE:BHP), it’s a case of the strong getting stronger and possibly even running away from the pack.

Back in 2001, BHP Ltd. and Billiton PLC merged to form BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s leading diversified resources group. And it never looked back.

Now, the lowest-cost natural-resources producer with the broadest portfolio of offerings, BHP superbly positioned itself to weather the current global downturn. Indeed, back in June the company reported its seventh-consecutive

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The steel business faces its biggest hurdle in 60 years with some analysts predicting double digit production cuts in 2009. Now, a sudden change in China trade policy may spell even more trouble for Western steelmakers, as Beijing is currently considering measures to shore up its ailing steel industry with new export policies. According to World Steel Dynamics, a U.S. steel consulting firm, steel production could fall next year by 13.9% compared with this year. This downturn comes after a long period of growth in the steel industry. In fact, output has grown every year since 1998 - soaring from 777 million metric tons a decade ago to 1.34 billion metric tons in 2007. The catalyst behind the expansion has been a robust world economy and a steep rise in demand in China - by far the world’s biggest steel producing ...