The world’s power elite, the Bilderberg club, is getting together today at the five-star Nafsika Astir Palace Hotel in Greece. US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will be there. So will World Bank president (and Goldman Sachs alumnus) Robert Zoellick; head of Deutsche Bank Jo Ackermann; and European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet. The topic of discussion is the global economic meltdown.

You may have noticed that most of my articles are pretty in depth and lengthy. A fellow IDE editor recently pointed that out and issued a challenge … “I bet you ten bucks you can’t write a one page essay.”

The dollar continues to rally…  Obama bounce picks up steam…  ECB and BOE meet this week…  Brazilian reals on a roll! And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Gold rose in Hong Kong, leveled off in London, and traded rangebound through the NYMEX and Globex sessions on Friday, although it held above $900, finishing at $901.30/oz., up $3.30. For the week, gold added 3.5%.

A budget airliner made a profit. I wonder how old I will be the next time I write this?

Bowing to peer pressure from Eurocentric readers, today’s comment focuses squarely on opportunities in European indexes, or should that be ‘bourses.’

At a time when Europe and the United States are shedding jobs in the financial sector, one financial center is only adding to its ranks: Hong Kong.

In the energy market Tuesday, crude for June delivery resumed its rise after a one-day breather, closing at $125.80/barrel, up $1.57. June reformulated gasoline gained 4 cents, to $3.20/gallon.

Stocks dipped lower today (Tuesday), as investor confidence about first quarter earnings remains low.

Yesterday, UK rates came down a quarter to 5%. ECB rates held steady as expected at 4% and all of us who continue to feel poorer can be grateful that we’re not paying a mortgage in Iceland.