Kazakhstan was once a nation of nomads wandering vast steppes. They herded cattle, goats and camels. On the country’s western edge lies the Caspian Sea. Towns grew up along the shore there, hauling in catches of sturgeon and black caviar.

Oil dropped more than 2 percent to below $68 a barrel on Monday as a stronger dollar and weaker European equities outweighed attacks on the oil industry in top African exporter Nigeria.

Oil prices rose for the third consecutive day on Friday, nearing $72 a barrel, as rebel attacks in Nigeria hit output from the OPEC-member country and economic optimism propelled equities markets higher.

Last week, a few investors started to dip their stubbed toes back into the market. There’s no question we might still see a few more large drops to the downside, but those who are waiting for the “very last correction” will likely miss a significant portion of the next bull-run.

The sulfuric-acid market is booming and oil companies are reaping the rewards.

According to the London Times, the price of sulfur has risen from $50 to $500 a ton in under a year. More from this report:

“Shell is one of the most-efficient producers of sulphur,” Barry Clarke, a sulphur market analyst for Pentasul, said.

“A Real Fly on the Wall at Bretton Woods”. Ah yes…that age-old question…

Recent Brazilian oil discoveries have lead Brazil’s richest man, Eike Batista, to take his company OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA public in a $3.37bn share offering. This from Bloomberg:

Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista is planning a 5.59 billion real ($3.37 billion) initial public offering of OGX Petroleo e Gas Participacoes SA, betting the country’s recent oil finds will lure investors who snubbed 20 IPOs this year.

The long-term bullish case for oil services is a no-brainer. Here’s why…