The base metals were all in the green in light post-Christmas trading on Monday. Copper noodled around within a tight 4-cent range the whole day, finishing at $1.3115/lb., up more than 2 cents from Friday. Nickel had a good day, advancing to $4.409/lb., up 17 cents. Zinc moved slightly higher, closing at $0.5164/lb., up three-quarters of a cent. Aluminum posted a modest gain to $0.6868/lb., up more than a penny, while lead had a very strong day, adding nearly 4 cents, to $0.4177/lb.

Commodity prices have plunged from the record highs they hit earlier this year, but in a recent interview with Bloomberg, investing guru Jim Rogers said he is still bullish on commodities, which he expects to take off as soon as the clouds of the global recession lift.

Commodity prices are bracing for their worst month in 52 years as global demand continues to slide. The Reuters/Jefferies CRB Index – a measure of 19 global commodities from light crude to lean hogs – fell 24% in October, Bloomberg reports.

The base metals were mixed again on Wednesday. Copper sagged through the pre-dawn hours, but recaptured the lost ground during the New York session, finishing at $3.6395/lb., up a penny and a half.

My ongoing premise is the US is now in or near depression mode. It’s a fairly lonely stance to take because almost everyone believes the official economic numbers cast our way. That is a very costly mistake.

Check out a chart showing the Q1 2008 action in the CRB Index, a widely tracked basket of 19 leading commodities, versus the S&P 500 from the beginning of the first quarter through Tuesday. The CRB Index is up 11% during that time frame. Meanwhile, the S&P is down over 7%. OUCH! Which would you rather invest in?