| Demand jitters push crude below $50 Drop in oil price leads to broader retreat in raw materials, with the Reuters-Jefferies CRB commodity index falling to a five-year low  Australian wool risks retail bans Australia's wool export industry risks alienating international customers after the country's main wool producing body reneged on a promise to phase out the controversial practice of mulesing by 2010 Gold's safe appeal attracts record interest Sales of gold coins and bars reached their highest levels for more than a decade while gold exchange traded funds saw record inflows in the third quarter as investors sought a safe haven after Lehman's collapse Commodity volatility now favoured by hedge funds Fund managers anxious not to lose out on potential benefits of trading volatility as an asset class are turning their attention to products including variance swaps based on commodities indices Imperial says takeover by ONGC on track Imperial Energy said all pre-conditions of its £1.4bn takeover had been satisfied and offer documents would be sent out to shareholders by December 9 Dry bulk goods growth to halt in 2009 The double-digit growth in seaborne trade of dry bulk commodities will come to a halt in 2009 as economic growth in China and elsewhere slows Platinum and palladium take a pummelling Having reached highs in March, prices for platinum and palladium have plummeted almost 65% and are forecast to tumble further still Lonmin unveils shake-up as production falls Lonmin announced plans to close uneconomic mines and slash capital spending as new chief executive Ian Farmer sought make the platinum mining group more profitable Boom states face plain truths For much of the past two years, there has been a broad but largely unnoticed real estate surge in the United States' midsection, but that last bright spot is now at risk from falling oil prices Copper's bottom The rise of copper prices, which almost tripled in the three years to July, was among the steepest of any commodity. Appropriately, it has been the worst-performing metal since prices turned – and they have further to fall Insight: The dollar is a flawed currency This is an excerpt from this week's View from the Markets online interview with investor Jim Rogers Traders to collect big on slick bet Investors who placed summer bets that oil prices would fall below $100 a barrel are set to make huge profits on Monday, with some speculators reaping a return of more than 2,000 per cent in less than six months Repsol postpones YPF float Stock market turbulence and falling oil prices have forced the Spanish group to shelve its plan for divesting the Argentine business that accounts for 30% of its earnings Petrol profit margins could signal time to buy With 'crack spreads' in negative territory some analysts at least say a rally can't be far off Mexico hedges to protect oil revenues Mexico revealed it had built a massive position in oil "put" options, a financial instrument that gives holders the right to sell at a predetermined price and date, in an effort to lock in its oil revenues for next year. News Wizard |