Crude oil is heading for its biggest weekly gain in almost two months as Gustav approaches the Gulf of Mexico.

According to Bloomberg: “Gustav is expected to reach Louisiana next week, passing through a region home to a quarter of U.S. oil output and 14% of natural gas production.”

Hurricanes pass. But over the long term, says energy and oil expert Byron King, we are facing a “profound change” in the future availability of oil. That’s because Western oil companies are being kept away from resources by uncooperative states…

Brazil is no longer just a tourist hot spot, but a solid profit play for savvy investors, too. And one of the best ways to profit from Brazil’s expected 4.8% growth in gross domestic product this year is to invest in one of the Latin American nation’s infrastructure-focused firms.

The Adventures of Tintin is a comic book series started back in 1929. My nine-year-old son loves it. I enjoy reading it along with him because the hero of the series, a young Belgian reporter named Tintin, often finds himself in interesting historical settings and exotic places. (My favorite story is “The Blue Lotus,” which takes place during Japan’s occupation of China in the 1930s.)

The easiest way to pocket gains in emerging markets is to follow the money, says Irwin Greenstein in Taipan’s Emerging Market blog.

Of course, as Irwin points out, this doesn’t exactly sound like a great contrarian play. Contrarian investors usually bet against the big money.

How do you follow the money? By tracking investments made by the world’s cash-rich sovereign wealth funds (SWFs). Irwin says Gulf-state SWFs are moving into oil-rich Southeast Asia - tipping off investors to stable, long-term growth opportunities.

In the energy market Monday, crude for August delivery vacillated through a $4 range between high and low, settling at a nervous $145.18, up 10 cents. August reformulated was essentially unchanged, at $3.558/gallon.