Oil traded around $66 a barrel on Monday, steadying after an earlier decline which extended last week’s 8.4 percent slide, as the U.S. dollar lost ground and stock markets moved higher.

Commodities prices are surging. World white sugar prices reached record levels on Aug. 10, largely because of booming demand in India where the government has lifted a ban on imports.

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Currencies adrift all day yesterday…  Data prints begin today with Productivity…  Stop to think!  Chinese data is impressive… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Oil rose more than $2 to hit a one-month high near $72 on Monday as positive Chinese economic data and firmer equities bolstered hopes of economic recovery and higher energy demand.

Eurozone consumers expect prices to continue to slide over the next few months, raising concerns about a deflationary spiral in the European bloc, the Financial Times reported. 

It’s not without some sort of satisfaction that many consumers react to the news that earning reports from oil companies have been dismal. After all, these companies have been making money off us hand over fist for quite some time.

Gold pared gains on Friday as the euro retreated from highs against the dollar in the wake of second-quarter GDP data from the United States.

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Of all the people you might expect to spearhead a movement away from oil and onto alternative energy, T. Boone Pickens probably wouldn’t be at the top of the list.