If you’re looking for what I call a “blast-off” move, look no further than the sugar market.

In the last few columns, we’ve focused on sectors that typically see lots of action during the summertime. Most notably, this includes the “grains” (corn, wheat, soybeans), the “softs” (orange juice), and even natural gas. When you have commodities that are so susceptible to weather, you often see dramatic moves in one day, only for it to unwind the next day.

While the mainstream media has been focused on the run-up in equities, one overlooked sector has turned “red hot,” according to Justice Litle in Taipan Daily. Justice is talking about the grain markets – foodstuffs like corn, wheat, soy and sugar.

Mr. Market has begun to show clear signs of split personality disorder in recent weeks. Now that investors have exhaled in relief that a deflationary apocalypse has been avoided, the new reality of reflation and stagnation is sinking in…

Manufacturing Spending Continue Slide; Macy’s Cuts 7,000 Jobs; Banks Still Not Lending; Renew Energy Files for Bankruptcy; Morgan Stanley Slashes Workforce; Oil Prices Slide 4%; Steelcase Shows Weakness

Crude oil’s masive one-day climb yesterday resurrected fears over the impact of soaring fuel costs on farming and food prices.

Other factors are at play in the volatile agricultural industry. According to Chris Mayer, “Fertile soil – good dirt – may become more important to land values than oil or minerals in the ground.”

Chris says fertile farmland has been in decline since the 1980s due to urban sprawl and soil erosion. This makes it a lucrative asset. And it makes companies like Cresud (NASDAQ:CRESY), which owns large swathes of farmland in Argentina, a great stock play.

PPI inflation and retail sales for August could show signs of encouragement, thanks to falling commodity prices and back-to-school demand. Although a welcome relief from the deluge of grim headlines, we’re looking at short-term relief from long-term problems, says Christian Hill at Investor’s Daily Edge

It’s a difficult time for commodities bulls. Crude oil is off more than 20% from its July peak. Gold is going for about $830 an ounce, way off its Spring highs. And the Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index is down 19% from its June high.

Energy expert Byron King says investors shouldn’t panic over the drop in prices. For a start, August is a notoriously poor month for commodities. It tends to be a month of net selling.

Despite some demand issues caused by the global slowdown, Byron says commodities are in a short-term correction. And that means plenty of great bargains on offer…

Commodities have been tumbling for more than one month. Energy, metals and agricultural products have dropped by double-digit percentages. This means there are potential technical rebounds on their way and opportunities to take profit for more or less short-term corrections, says Gabriel Andre in The Daily Reckoning Australia. Corn may be one of those opportunities.

The Environmental Protection Agency has denied a request from several U.S. policymakers to temporarily waive ethanol requirements for gasoline in hopes of bringing down corn prices.