Oil Rises on China Demand, Slowing U.S. Recession; Homebuilder Shares Surge After Order Increase; Natural Gas ETF to Suspend New Share Offers; Microsoft to Bring Office to Nokia Smartphones; J.D. Power: Auto Sales to Surge Next Year; WTO: China Violated Trade Rules on Books and Movies; Despite Shrinking Sales, Macy’s Beats the Street

All the factors that set the fertilizer bull market in motion in the first place are still here. Populations are still growing. Diets are shifting toward more fruits, vegetables and meats — all fertilizer intensive. As Potash CEO Bill Doyle says, “This will continue to put pressure on global grain supplies, as farmers are being challenged to produce more with land and water resources that are shrinking on a per capita basis.”

For more than a decade, author and academic Dr. Jeremy Siegel had the Midas touch.  His book “Stocks For the Long Run,” first published in October 1996, surveyed more than 200 years of stock market history both in the United States and abroad and made a compelling case that common stocks are the very best long-term investment vehicle. Better than cash. Better than bonds. Better than real estate. Better than gold.

Earnings reports begin this week…  Dollar, yen, francs get bought…  Medvedev shows off new coin!  A busy week! And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Another of our favorite underground investors Whitney Tilson of T2 Partners is sounding the alarm on US Treasurys. He is also pessimistic about retail investors beating the market on their own.

There’s a debate brewing on Wall Street right now – it’s a fight over which way the market’s headed after it makes its way out of its current rut.

Currencies rebound…  G-8 has no fireworks…  Aussie / China and coal… Entitlements… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Bias to sell dollars fades away…  Trading in yesterday’s clothes…   More thoughts on China…   Shadow Inventory…
And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Gold steadied today,  Tuesday, erasing earlier gains, as the dollar recovered lost ground against a basket of currencies, reducing the precious metal’s appeal as an alternative asset.