Oil prices have been falling today, helped by the release of the weekly inventory report which showed larger than expected reserves in the precious crude.
Going into today's report, analysts were expecting to see the Department of Energy announce that oil inventories fell by 1.9 million barrels last week, but in fact we only saw a decline of 1.6 million barrels.
Gasoline is probably more on the minds of most consumers, and what we saw in gasoline demand was even more extreme. Analysts had expected to see a rise of about 500,000 barrels of gasoline supplies last week, but the actual increase came in at 2.9 million barrels, a clear sign that high gasoline prices have forced many of us to cut back on our usage.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City released its Beige Book Report detailing economic activity among the twelve Federal Reserve Districts across the country. The pace of economic activity was quite sluggish throughout much of the country. At the same time, there have been hawkish comments recently by several Fed governors. This leads us to the question of the possibility of a Fed rate increase on the horizon.
However, one must remember that hawkish talk is quite different from hawkish action. As I have said in my book, Follow the Fed to Investment Success, "watch what the Fed does not what it says."
The Fed has given no indication that an imminent raise in interest rates is forthcoming. There have simply been hawkish comments, which are an incredibly inexpensive means of maintaining its inflation-fighting credentials. However, every time market turmoil arises, the Fed adopts a more conciliatory tone.
Republicans and my colleague Aaron Katsman are trying to blame Democrat Barack Obama for rising gas prices. This is election-year politics at its worst.
For one thing, as the Washington Post and other independent observers note, drilling for more oil will do little to alleviate the pain U.S. drivers are feeling at the pump. The available supplies are probably not going to make much of a dent in our never-ending thirst for the black gold. Remember, the oil may not be as easy to get or cheap to process.
"Drilling off the coasts would increase U.S. oil production but have no short-term impact on gas prices," the Post says. "While some analysts disagree, an Energy Department report last year said production would not start until 2017 and have no 'significant' effect on prices or supplies until 2030."
An even more ridiculous idea floated by Republican John McCain is the so-called gas tax holiday, which has been roundly denounced by economists and Obama as a dangerous economic gimmick. Experts estimate that it would save the average consumer a whopping $30.
Oil got off to a strong start today, with prices at one point moving up as high as $130.69 a barrel as fears of supply disruptions in Iran have kept the market bullish for the time being.
Prices cool off a bit and are now sitting at $129.40, but you can be sure that as long as the tension between the West and Iran persists, you are going to continue to see prices that just refuse to come back down towards any sort of comfortable level.
Last week, we saw a pretty sizable drop in oil prices (see chart at the end of this post), which could be the main reason why this morning's rally was not able to hold above the $130 mark. Investors are probably still a bit weary of betting that we have hit support yet. What really got the market moving early on was fresh threats from the U.S. that more sanctions would be imposed on oil-rich Iran should it not cease its current nuclear program.
"In a year wracked by economic uncertainty and stumbling global stock markets, Russia has been an unlikely standout performer," explains global investment expert Nick Vardy.
"Even as China is now down by more than 50%, bad boy Russia's performance has been second only to Brazil this year and it actually has outperformed its BRIC rival by a hair during the past three months.
"Despite Russia's reputation as a country rife with corruption, scant respect for genuine democracy and the Rule of Law, it's always hard to argue with success.
"Scan the Russian press, and it quickly becomes apparent that the contrast between the collective economic mood of Russia and the United States couldn't be sharper. While U.S. drivers cringe at $4 per gallon gas, Russia celebrates high oil prices as the source of its newfound wealth.
"To add insult to injury, the most recent Forbes 400 list confirms that Moscow now boasts more billionaires than New York City.
"Railroads are a play on three big secular themes: the drive for increased energy efficiency, growth in coal and the agriculture boom," says Elliott Gue, a energy sector expert who has just returned from Japan where he was covering the G8 Summit.
Meanwhile, in his The Energy Srategist, he states, "Railroads are now among the most fuel-efficient forms of freight transport available." Here, he offers a bullish review of Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP).
"My long-held thesis on the group has been that the railroads are no longer totally dependent on the US economy for their growth.
"It's no longer appropriate to look at this sector as viciously economy sensitive. The traditional relationship between the broader market and the rails has been breaking down for several years, but this trend appears to be accelerating.
"In 2007, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR), the average railroad moved a ton of freight a distance of 436 miles on a single gallon of diesel fuel. That makes freight trains roughly three to four times more fuel efficient than trucks.
"Union Pacific is the largest railroad in the US and has long been one of my favorites. The company's network is nearly 33,000 miles long and is concentrated in the West and Midwest. It also offers a convenient example of the bullish forces at work for the rails, particularly in the coal and agriculture industries.
"Refiners enjoy a virtual monopoly. The high price of crude has put the squeeze on profit margins -- especially in the case of gasoline, even though it is selling for over $4.00 now. Gasoline always becomes a political issue during election season.
"Nevertheless, gasoline prices are generally rising. The stock market is also getting 'depression minded,' to the point of paranoia; and this fear is dragging some stocks like refiners lower with the tide.
"The current profit squeeze will not be permanent, but Valero has another arrow in its quiver. They are able to process sour crude, which is becoming more prevalent as exporters keep more of the good stuff (light sweet crude) at home and ship the heavy sour crude.
OPEC again lowered its forecast for 2008 global oil demand growth, adding that the economic slowdown affecting the United States and other industrialized nations is likely to lower demand growth in 2009 as well, the group announced (pdf).
OPEC lowered its 2008 forecast to 1.20% global oil demand growth, down from 1.28%. It was OPEC's fourth downward revision for oil demand this year. The new price structure and slower global economy "have helped dampen oil demand growth in many regions," the cartel said in its July report.
OPEC, which accounts for about 40% of the global oil supply, now expects 2008 demand to rise by 1.03 million barrels per day, or 70,000 barrels per day less than the group's previous forecast.
On Tuesday, oil plunged $6.44 to $138.74 per barrel -- its biggest decline, in percentage terms, since March 2008 -- following Tuesday morning testimony by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, during which the Fed chair said credit market write-downs were likely to slow the already anemic U.S. economy even more, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday. Economist Glen Langan told BloggingStocks OPEC's revised forecast is likely to represent another data point the oil bears will like.
"As steel prices continue to climb, one company that is set to profit handsomely is Cleveland-Cliffs (NYSE: CLF)," says Bill Martin.
Adding to the stock's appeal, the editor of BullMarket.com explains, "Event-driven hedge fund Harbinger Capital has been an aggressive buyer of the stock." Here's his review of the situation.
"Shares of Cleveland-Cliffs have been on fire, up over 150% year over year and they have more than doubled year to date. The Cleveland, Ohio-based company is the largest producer of iron ore pellets in North America and a major supplier of metallurgical coal to the global steel-making industry.
"Cleveland-Cliffs benchmarks iron ore prices to the price of steel, so when steel prices rise, so do iron ore prices. The company said all of its North American iron ore mines are producing at or near capacity.
"Cleveland-Cliffs ended the first quarter of 2008 with $186.5 million of cash and cash equivalents and $600 million in borrowings outstanding under an $800 million credit facility. The company expects to generate approximately $700 million in cash from operations in FY08 as it sells through its inventory.
"Event-driven hedge fund Harbinger Capital was an aggressive buyer of the stock in May, paying between $76.96 to $104.75 a share to add to its position in the name. For the month, the firm spent approximately $338.5 million to acquire nearly 3.7 million shares.
"The number one reason I like gold is because of inflation -- now a big problem in the emerging markets and the major economies," says resource expert Eric Roseman.
In his industry-leading Commodity Trend Alert, he says, "One of my favorite companies in the world is Goldcorp (NYSE: GG)." Here, he looks at this gold mining firm.
"Inflation sits at a nine-and-a-half-year high in Asia at 7.5%, a 15-year high in the Euro-zone at 3.7% and in the United States it's at 4.2% -- if you believe government data in the first place. I don't. I say inflation is running closer to 10% in 2008, not 4.2%.
"The cost of living, mainly in food and energy, is now totally out of control and destroying business margins and eroding the purchasing power of consumers, especially in the emerging markets where food and energy consumption devours more than 65% of wages.
"It seems very obvious to me that Asian governments have now lost control of inflation. The same applies to the Gulf countries which peg their currencies to the dollar. And in Europe, the European Central Bank is freaking out because of high inflation.
There are many ironies in the fact that President George W. Bush will throw the first pitch at Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in New York. For one, President Bush is the first managing general partner of a Major League team (the Texas Rangers) to become President of the United States.
President Franklin Roosevelt was the first to attend an All-Star Game and throw out the first pitch, starting the tradition. He too had to deal with a poor economy and by the time he threw out that first ball the groundwork was being laid for World War II. President Bush has had to contend with his own war.
While there are differing views as to whether we should have gone into Iraq and whether we should stay or get out, this will always be viewed as George's war, fair or not. And the state of our economy in 2008 will also be viewed as George's economy, fair or not.
The ultimate irony for me is that Yankee Stadium is scheduled to be torn apart at the end of the season. This is YANKEE Stadium and the last president to set foot in it will be George W. Bush. The stadium with the greatest heritage in baseball, the 'House That Ruth Built', is going to be torn apart while our economy is also being torn apart. It is being torn out at its roots.
Oil plunged more than $8 to about $136 Tuesday at mid-day after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's indicated the risks to U.S. growth have increased as a result of credit market losses, Bloomberg News reported Tuesday.
Oil fell $9.26 to $135.92 per barrel before recovery slightly. Oil hit a record of $147.27 per barrel on July 11.
The other major energy commodities, likewise, plummeted on the news. Heating oil plunged almost 15 cents to $3.91 per gallon, unleaded gasoline sank almost 17 cents to $3.39 per gallon, and natural gas plunged 44 cents to $11.51 per million BTUs.
"Oil in free-fall"
Energy trader Jim Dietz said "a mini selling frenzy" hit the oil market after Bernanke indicated the U.S. economy was likely to slow further.
"We did have some support for an oil-long trade earlier as an investment when few other investments are working, but that sentiment was quickly wiped out by Bernanke's comments," Dietz said. "We had oil in free-fall for about an hour. The market put 'two and two together.' We had the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailout news yesterday [Monday] and Bernanke's bearish comments today. That led a lot of people to conclude we're going to see a slowdown in oil demand growth, which means lower prices."
U.S. producer prices soared a seasonally-adjusted 1.8% in June, the U.S Labor Department announced Tuesday, as rising energy prices continued to increase wholesale costs at an alarming rate.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had expected the June PPI index to rise 1.4%. Producer prices increased 1.4% in May and 0.2% in April.
The core rate, which excludes food and energy costs, increased 0.2%, the Labor Department said, below the Bloomberg News 0.3% consensus estimate.
Economist Peter Dawson told BloggingStocks Tuesday the June PPI is another unfortunate data point for the economy, but it's not as bad as it appears. "The report is bad, but not as bad as it could have been. Energy really drove the index higher. If you took out gasoline prices, PPI would be down a half percentage point," Dawson said. "That said, energy prices are still rising at an alarming rate and they're a cost concern for businesses and individuals alike."
Oil's four-year bull run to +$140 per barrel has increased the wealth of 'petrodollar' nations, and is about set to propel another shift, this time in the bond market.
Petroleum-exporting nations, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia are set to become the biggest creditor nations to the U.S. Government, Bloomberg News reported Monday.
Holdings of petrodollar nations increased 44% to $510 billion through April, Bloomberg News reported Monday -- an increase pace that's set to displace Japan, which holds the largest amount of U.S. Treasuries, at $592.2 billion.
Oil rose about 20 cents to $145.28 per barrel in late Monday afternoon trading.
"Renewable fuels and clean energy, a sector beaten down hard since last fall, are now primed for a major comeback," says Eric Roseman, editor of The Commodity Trend Alert. Here's his top ETF play on the sector.
"With every passing day the price of crude oil rises, the secular trend to alternative energy becomes even more powerful. Consumers, companies and governments are now sick and tired of soaring energy prices.
"The long-term solution is to obviously reduce our dependence on oil and increase our consumption of renewable fuels like wind, solar, and nuclear energy.
"The bull market in alternative energy began in 2005 when a host of companies in this thriving sector went public, supported by government subsidies, especially in Germany and Spain. Interestingly, Germany and Spain have just reduced solar energy subsidies this spring.
"In my view, those subsidy cuts don't matter at this stage. When companies in the solar sector are making money, why should governments continue subsidizing them?
Oil prices have been falling today, helped by the release of the weekly inventory report which showed larger than expected reserves in the precious crude.
Republicans and my colleague 
Oil got off to a strong start today, with prices at one point moving up as high as $130.69 a barrel as 
There are many ironies in the fact that President George W. Bush will throw the first pitch at Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in New York. For one, President Bush is the first managing general partner of a Major League team (the Texas Rangers) to become President of the United States.
Oil plunged more than $8 to about $136 Tuesday at mid-day after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's indicated the risks to U.S. growth have increased as a result of credit market losses, 
Earnings preview for Ford
Apple shares rise on report Steve Jobs is free of cancer
Toyota whups GM in the first half of 2008
