The world is screaming for copper. Demand from China, the U.S. and Europe is pushing prices to all-time highs. London copper traded at $10,000 a metric ton. On the New York Mercantile Exchange, copper hit $.4.58 a pound, as reported in the Wall Street Journal.

Traders are looking for "five dollar copper," which would push London's price to $11,000 per metric ton. Goldman Sachs (GS) forecasts that copper will average $10,230 a metric ton in 2011, up 15%. It warned that new mine capacity will not come to market for at least two years.

Continue reading Copper Sets Record $10,000 a Metric Ton

Copper Sets Record $10,000 a Metric Ton originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Fierce weather conditions are wreaking havoc on agricultural crops around the world. The latest disaster is the cyclone hitting Australia's sugar crops. Australia is the world's third largest sugar exporter.

Raw sugar futures jumped 4% to settle at 35.31 cents per pound and traded as high as 36.11 cents as reported in the Wall Street Journal. The cyclone Yasi is one of the strongest storms to slam Australia. Losses from the storm are estimated at $505.7 million.

The storm is adding to an exceptionally poor harvest in Australia. This year's crop yielded only 3.6 million tons, the lowest in 20 years. Output from Brazil, the world's number one producer was also disappointing.

Continue reading Australian Cyclone Drives Sugar Prices to New Heights

Australian Cyclone Drives Sugar Prices to New Heights originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Australia's economy added 54,600 jobs in October. What, you ask, does that have to do with U.S. investing?

Well, adjusting for Australia's population, November's job growth down under is the equivalent of a 728,000 monthly job gain in the United States -- in other words, a Roaring 90s-level monthly job growth performance.

Continue reading Australia's Job Boom Continues -- Is the U.S. Next?

Australia's Job Boom Continues -- Is the U.S. Next? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Never in the fickle landscape of American fashion has there been a more polarizing brand than Ed Hardy. Some (Bret Michaels, Jon Gosselin, my old boss) love the pricey tees and hoodies inspired by the art of tattoo artist Don Ed Hardy. Some feel it is at best gaudy and at worst a sign of the imminent demise of civilization as we know it.

City officials in Stonnington, Australia are in the latter camp, it seems, as they have banned all Ed Hardy clothing. While this "law" is only enforced by a crudely-worded (and NSFW) sign posted on the door of a defunct Hardy shop, it's a sign that the fashion isn't welcome in the town.

Continue reading Ed Hardy Banned in Australian Town

Ed Hardy Banned in Australian Town originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 19 Oct 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Precious metals moved higher today, led by gold, which set another record high. Here are the numbers:

• December gold futures are trading at $1,328.20, per ounce, up $11.40 (as of 8:00 am EDT)
• December silver is up 23 cents to $22.27 per ounce.
• October platinum is trading at $1,681.7 per ounce, up $14.
• December Palladium is up $7.20 to $568.50 per ounce.

Continue reading Gold and Silver March to New Highs

Gold and Silver March to New Highs originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Rio Tinto Clamps Down in Australia

Rio Tinto Clamps Down in Australia originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 06 May 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Australia avoided the recession of 2009. Now, with the nation strong and growing, The Reserve Bank of Australia raised interest rates to 4%, as reported in the Wall Street Journal (subscription required). This is the fourth such increase since October. Bank officials stated that the increase was a gradual step to bringing interest rates back to their normal level of 4.25% to 4.75%. G-20 nations have yet to begin raising rates.

Australia's economy is in a sweet spot. They supply China with much of their raw materials, such as iron ore, aluminum and copper. As a consequence, unemployment is only 5.3%.

Continue reading Australia Boosts Interest Rates to 4%

Australia Boosts Interest Rates to 4% originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In October, private equity powerhouse, TPG, scored a big win as it took Myer (which is a retailer based in Australia) public. The gains came to a mouth-watering $1.46 billion.

But now there's a huge problem; that is, the Australian tax authorities sent TPG a bill for a whopping $628 million. Its for back taxes, as well as penalties.

Continue reading TPG gets whacked by a $628 million tax bill

TPG gets whacked by a $628 million tax bill originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

For McDonald's (MCD), 32,000 restaurants in 100 countries isn't enough. The quick service restaurant announced in a meeting with Wall Street analysts that it will open 1,000 new restaurants next year. Most will be in the United States, China, Australia, Russia, Germany and France. Don't expect to see any in Iceland, though, as the company is closing its three restaurants there and has no plans to return in the near future.

The company is also looking to rehabilitate the interiors and exteriors of another 2,300 locations in 2010 - approximately half of them in Europe. In all, this should cost around $2.4 billion. For 2009, McDonald's expects its capital expenditures to reach $2.1 billion on 900 new restaurant openings. The chain is increasing its rate of new restaurant openings by more than 10% from 2009 to 2010.

Continue reading McDonald's to add another thousand golden arches next year

McDonald's to add another thousand golden arches next year originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Australia, on Tuesday, became the first of the G-20 nations to hike interest rates when the Reserve Bank of Australia raised the cash rate from a 49-year low of 3% a quarter point to 3.25%.

As you might guess, the Australian dollar surged to a 14-month high against the U.S. dollar, trading at $0.8868 against its U.S. counterpart.

Continue reading Australia is the first G-20 country to raise interest rates

Australia is the first G-20 country to raise interest rates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Before the bell: Futures higher as Australia hikes rates

Before the bell: Futures higher as Australia hikes rates originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading A good year for oil discoveries

A good year for oil discoveries originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Investments in clean energy projects and companies reached $155 billion last year, surpassing fossil fuel investments. According to a United Nations report, $13.5 billion in new private investment was directed to companies that are developing new technologies, with almost half that (according to Private Equity Intelligence, Ltd.) coming from clean technology-focused private equity funds.

Clean energy sources account for the majority of energy investments last year, with $105 billion spent on developing 40GW of wind, solar, small hydro, biomass and geothermal energy generation capabilities. Large hydro (25GW) accounted for another $35 billion in investments.

Totaling $140 billion, this accounts for 56% of investments in power last year. The aggregate 65GW, however, represents only 41% of new capacity developed in 2008. Renewable energy dominated the clean technology space, 75% of the total at $117 billion.

Investments in clean energy technology grew 5% from 2007 to 2008, leading to a second consecutive record-setting year. Emerging markets made the difference last year - particularly China and Brazil. China has become the second largest wind market in the worlds (as measured by new capacity) and the world's top photovoltaic manufacturer.

Geothermal appears to be on the horizon for several countries, including Australia and Kenya. Nonetheless, the ongoing financial crisis has put the squeeze on the clean energy space. U.S. investments fell 2%, and growth slowed considerably in Europe.

$155 billion in clean energy overtakes fossil fuel investments originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Australia clamps down on CEO pay the right way

Australia clamps down on CEO pay the right way originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Did anyone see this coming? Honestly, I didn't think that Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) Four Christmases, starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, would be the number-one movie over the five-day Thanksgiving time period. According to preliminary data at Boxofficemojo, the holiday flick took in more than $46 million at domestic theaters for the Wednesday-through-Sunday frame. I've seen the ad campaign for Christmases, and I have no intention of taking in a screening of it. I guess it was the right product at the right time.

Summit Entertainment's Twilight came in second with $39 million. Considering how hyped up this one was, and how much of an ardent following it seems to possess, frankly, I'm surprised. Where were all the teens to push this to the top of the heap? They were certainly available to pack the theaters. And those who saw it during its debut weekend had ample opportunity to engage a repeat viewing or two. Still, at a reported budget of about $37 million, the project should be profitable for Summit Entertainment (I wish I knew how much was being spent on marketing, though). It's total take so far is approaching $120 million.

Bolt from Disney (NYSE: DIS) was third with $36 million. So far, its total gross stands at almost $67 million. I'm disappointed that the cartoon isn't closer to $100 million by now. I mean, this is the Disney brand we're talking about. Plus, Bolt could be considered a test of both John Lasseter's hit-making skill and of the value of the Pixar purchase (as I alluded to in a previous piece). I expected more from this one, and I'm sure Disney execs were counting on a higher gross by this point as well (no matter what they will say in public).

Continue reading 'Twilight' not tops over Thanksgiving holiday -- surprised?

'Twilight' not tops over Thanksgiving holiday -- surprised? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 09:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Donald Trump's tour of Australia is a monumental flop

Donald Trump's tour of Australia is a monumental flop originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"While watching the Olympics, I couldn't thinking about the investment opportunities of the various countries participating in the games," says exchange-traded fund expert Carl Delfeld.

Recognizing that this is not a "scientific" approach nor a primary basis for seriously determining one's asset allocation the editor of Around the World with ETFs speculates, "While it is admittedly a stretch, let's consider what an ETF porfolio of the top ten countries in the Beijing Olympics medal count would look like."

"I hope that while watching the Olympic games many investors were also reminded at how the world is changing and why they need a global portfolio to capture value and growth around the world.

"The U.S. did remarkably well across the board underscoring its role as the world's leading investment destination. China surged to win the most gold and reach the symbolic level of 100 medals.

"Quite an achievement that punctuates China's growing heft. With the Shanghai Composite down 55% this year, it has come down to earth and is interesting from a valuation perspective.

"Next comes Russia with a performance fueled by a strong Olympian tradition and petro dollars but perhaps a bit overshadowed by the Georgian fiasco. I will take a pass on this one even though it is off 36% since just May.

Continue reading Follow the medals: An Olympic portfolio

Follow the medals: An Olympic portfolio originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates MergerBook.com.

TPG goes down under with a $6.5 billion deal originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Global trade growth seen continuing despite WTO setback

Global trade growth seen continuing despite WTO setback originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Starbucks closes Australia coffee shops, lays off 1,000: Throttling back originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.