Hello 2009.  What do you have in store for us? Will you finally put the immense problems of the economy behind you? What surprises are you going to spring on us?

The U.S. trade deficit grew in October as both the volume of oil exports and our trade deficit with China surged to a record highs. A widening deficit means the United States will not be able to rely on trade to help pull the economy out of what may be the longest recession in the post-World War II era.

In the energy market Monday, oil sank below the $60 benchmark, with crude for December delivery closing at $59.33/barrel, down $3.08. December reformulated gasoline lost 6.2 cents, to $1.3059/gallon.  Early in the day, crude had fallen to $58.32, its lowest level since February, 2007, and yesterday there weren’t enough buyers to push it back over $60.

America is an albatross around the neck of a great many Asian countries. But where China throws its money – success and profits flourish. We’ve seen it in the far east – and it now looks like we’re about to see it in Africa… If you’re fast enough you can be part of the next success story.

For the past several years, the Pilbara Region of Western Australia has witnessed a boom like few mining districts have ever seen.

Could someone notify our clueless congresscritters? Fresh data from the U.S. Department of Energy show the amount of petroleum products shipped by the world’s top oil exporters fell 2.5% last year, despite a 57% increase in prices, a trend that appears to be holding true this year as well.

A stalling U.S. economy has typically been a cause for a concern among Asian exporters, which have traditionally been over-reliant on the American consumer for business.