Gold climbs on G-20 optimism, weak USD Gold inched higher Friday on a weaker USD and optimism about the weekend’s meeting of officials from the Group of 20 industrialized and developing economies. The most actively traded contract, for December delivery, was recently up 11.80, or 0.7%, at 1,680.30 oz on the Comex division of the [...]

Asia awaits Key rate decisions and China data Asian investors’ attention will be on some Key interest-rate decisions and a lots of Chinese data this coming week.. Tuesday the Reserve Bank of Australia meets, the central bank has been on an extended pause in its rate raising cycle, having last raised the benchmark cash-rate to [...]

A new study has looked at the “real” impacts of U.S. biofuels production both domestically and internationally and has concluded it is “negligible or nonexistent.” The research was coauthored by Dr. Seungdo Kim and Dr. Bruce E. Dale and was published in the July issue of Biomass and Bioenergy Journal under the title, “Indirect land [...]

Dennis U. Atuanya submits: Japan imported about 80% of its primary energy requirement in 2008. It is the world’s largest importer of both coal and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as well as the third-largest net importer of crude oil. The shallow-focus earthquake off the country’s coast last week generated three-meter high tsunami waves, rendering about [...]

Dennis U. Atuanya submits: The government of Bolivia last week issued a decree revoking consumption subsidies on some petroleum products. The action sparked a wave of strikes by trade unions as well as civil groups. Prices of diesel in the country increased by 83% while those of low- and high-octane gasolines increased by 73% and [...]