If you’ve been following this column over the last month, you’ve likely made some money by shorting the Dow Jones Industrial Average. 

The market is testing a critical support point. The previous low closing price of the Dow was 7,552.29 on November 20, 2008. As of this writing, the market was trading at 7586.69, down 263 points on the day.

It was a sea of red during Monday trading on the Canadian Markets with the oils and gold guys being the hardest hit. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange fell 3.27%, while the TSX Gold Index dropped 4.2% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, gave back 3.36% with the declining issuers edging out the advancers by a 491 to 224 margin on volume of 108 million shares traded.

Investors are lining up to grab their share – you can be one of them if you act fast enough.

Early this week, we introduced the idea of buying the ABCs – Australia, Brazil, and Canada – as a way to own commodities for the long term. Several DailyWealth readers wrote to ask, “Great… but what about Russia?”

Crude oil is grabbing the headlines but it’s coal and uranium that together provide nearly half the world’s power.

There are lots of reasons why a small company share can go up in price quickly. Usually it’s an innovative new product, a new market, or, in some cases, a sudden change in the market value of a good, product, or service.

Bargains sometimes come with risk. So is now the time to seriously consider investing in companies or funds with an interest in the mineral rich but troubled nation of Zimbabwe.

Prices give the rankings. Diamonds generally come top. Ruby and emerald are also priced higher than a top quality sapphire, due to their rarity. For a one-carat ruby stone the bill is likely to be between $250 and $10,000 per carat. Truly quality gems will cost more.

Is it true that De Beers pulled off one of the one successful pieces of social engineering ever? If they did manage it, you can’t deny that it was one of the most remunerative schemes ever hatched!