When ethanol comes out of the plant, the first thing they do is add a few drops of gasoline. This has nothing to do with performance or transport… It’s simply to poison the ethanol so people won’t drink it.

The GDP, gross domestic product, of any economy is the sum of all economic activity that occurs in every household, in every company, at all levels across the economy. So, if you buy a pair of jeans at the store there is a lot of GDP involved.

Ever since the great tech bubble burst in 2000, everyone has wondered what the “Next Big One” would be. For a while it was real estate. Then it was China. Next, commodities had their stellar run.

Falling house prices, tighter credit and rising prices are going to hurt consumers.

The question came to me as I was standing on the floor of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange here. I’d be willing to wager that quite a few investors – both within China and back in the United States – are wondering about this, as well.

You could almost hear the champagne corks popping. After declining for five consecutive months, the S&P 500 clawed its way to a 4.7% gain in April. Yeah! Yippee! Hoo-rah!

Potash has no spot market. The Belarusian Potash Company (BPC), the world’s largest potash trading company, controls 45% of the world’s potash output and sets benchmark international potash prices. Industrial buyers agree on prices with the BPC in one-year contracts.

As times change, so do trends. In the old days, the louder and more powerful your car, the better. Now, green is the name of the game and everyone wants to drive super quiet, efficient hybrids.

The real problem with the inflation/deflation battle…when your farthings aren’t worth what you thought… Which way will this tug-of-war go?…the end of a 28-year long road…the trouble with food…Dismembering the financial sector…the loose financial mores of the U.S. financial system…and more!

In 2002, Alkermes thought it had a winner on its hands… The small biotech and its Big Pharma partner, Johnson & Johnson, had developed the drug Risperdal Consta to combat schizophrenia. It was a great deal for a while… The market assumed the drug would be approved by the FDA the first time around.