I’m going to open the door to a “secret society” for you today.

If you’re looking for what I call a “blast-off” move, look no further than the sugar market.

After earning hefty profits on its commodities trading for nearly 18 years, heavyweight trader Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) now finds itself on the hot seat, defending this crucial source of revenue. And while that may not be good for Goldman, it’s also bad for investors.  Let me explain…

In the last few columns, we’ve focused on sectors that typically see lots of action during the summertime. Most notably, this includes the “grains” (corn, wheat, soybeans), the “softs” (orange juice), and even natural gas. When you have commodities that are so susceptible to weather, you often see dramatic moves in one day, only for it to unwind the next day.

Stocks, base metals and crude oil made further headway last week. Long-term US bond yields came down a bit following a successful 30-year bond auction and some pro-Treasurys comments from Japan’s finance minister. The dollar dipped while commodity-link currencies rallied.

Whether it’s heading up or down, the oil market usually asserts itself as the leader of the commodities world.  Having plunged from levels around $130 per barrel this time last year all the way down to the $40s, the market has spent the last couple of months striking to the upside again.

Oil is trading well over $70 a barrel – at its highs for this year – and just off nine-month highs of $73.20, seen last October 21, oil has been steadily rising. Oil prices have risen nearly 100% since their $38 a barrel lows seen last January.

Experts roundly agree that the recession is only a short-term blip in the long-term escalation of oil prices. And this time, there are 1.05 trillion reasons why oil is going to climb well past its peak last year.

The saga on the high seas continued… As much of the world continued to monitor the story of the American cargo ship that was captured by Somali pirates and held its captain hostage, the increase in piracy has sparked a fascinating conversation. 

Steve McDonald of Investors Daily Edge doesn’t want to see you get ripped off at the gas pump again. He recommends two Oil ETFs that will play out as part of the “the best buying opportunity since the market collapse of the late 70’s.”