With the world's attention focused on the seemingly endless rise in commodity prices, the frenzied barrage of related news, information, and commentary has surpassed the point where a hard-working Fool can be expected to follow it all. In an effort to ensure that Fools remain current with the commodity news that matters most, we offer this weekly series. Let's dive right in.
M&A heating up for summer
Brazilian iron ore giant Vale
In the energy space, Precision Drilling Trust
Gas fire scorches major miners
After the smoke cleared from last week's devastating fire in western Australia, Apache
Speculation debate becomes more speculative
As gasoline prices averaged more than $4 across the U.S., and oil traded throughout the $130s, the hunt for scapegoats continued in Washington. After last month's assault on OPEC, attention turned to the index funds holding long positions in futures for energy and agricultural products. The White House approved a task force to investigate the issue, and U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., vowed to ban large institutional investors from the commodities markets. Whatever a Fool's stance on the regulation or the impact of these funds on the futures markets, it seems the folks in Washington continue to ignore the key elements pushing up the price of oil, such as the weakened U.S. dollar, surging demand, and constraints to supply. Who knows, maybe they'll get it right next week.
Related Foolishness:
- All the cool people went to Potashapalooza!
- Korean steelmaker POSCO contemplated limited demand.
- BP spoke out about the energy situation.