The $4 trillion question:

what explains FX growth since the 2007 survey?
BIS Quarterly Review, December 2010
Michael R King and Dagfinn Rime
"Daily average foreign exchange market turnover reached $4 trillion in April 2010, 20% higher than in 2007. Growth owed largely to the increased trading activity of "other financial institutions", which contributed 85% of the higher turnover. Within this customer category, the growth is driven by high-frequency traders, banks trading as clients of the biggest dealers, and online trading by retail investors. Electronic trading has been instrumental to this increase, particularly algorithmic trading."
http://bit.ly/hwgVi5

US and China lead choc market recovery, Barry Callebaut

"Recovery in the chocolate market is underway in the US, Brazil and China but Western Europe has been slow to rebound and Eastern Europe still shows negative growth rates, said Barry Callebaut as it released robust full year results for 2010."
Confectionery News
Jayne Byrne
http://bit.ly/9sJZpf

Quantitative easing and commodity markets

London, 1 November 2010

"A warning by an International Energy Agency (IEA) analyst last week that quantitative easing (QE) risked inflating nominal commodity prices and derailing the recovery drew a withering response from Nobel Economics Laureate Paul Krugman..."
John Kemp, Reuters market analyst
Commodities Now
http://bit.ly/aUBks6

China and the future of Rare Earth Elements

Commodities Now
John Mauldin, Outside the Box & Thoughts From the Frontline London, 16 October 2010
A recent diplomatic spat between China and Japan has heightened territorial tensions and called attention to China's growing forcefulness with foreign powers. One of the more intriguing aspects of this development was China's suspension of the export of "rare earth" elements (REE) to Japan.
http://bit.ly/9aYGpP

Alarm raised on Chinese interest rates

"China must immediately hike interest rates and appreciate its currency to combat asset bubbles and boost household consumption, a member of the Chinese central bank’s monetary policy committee has said. "
-Sid Verma-
Emerging Markets
http://bit.ly/beFs4Q

SABIC, Ma'aden to produce 1m tons of phosphate next year

Arabian Business dot com
by Bloomberg
"Saudi Basic Industries Corp, the world’s largest petrochemicals maker, and partner Saudi Arabian Mining Co will produce about 1 million tons of phosphates next year at a joint venture plant that the partners are completing."
http://bit.ly/aL0smi

SMX to launch world’s first international Black Pepper Futures

"SMX has obtained approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to list SMPEPPER on its trading platform"
Commodities Now
http://bit.ly/9JLIQW

QE2 'myth' may hurt oil market

OIL&GAS Journal
Sam Fletche
Senior Writer
"A “general Wall Street myth” that a second round of “quantitative easing” of the economy (QE2) should prove bullish for oil through the lower dollar index may prove bearish instead. QE1 was the Federal Reserve Bank's unprecedented purchase of debt to prop up the housing market and credit facilities for big banks."
http://bit.ly/9L86iv

Study: Tax moves could 'cripple' US industry

Oil & Gas Journal
OGJ Editors
HOUSTON, Sept. 14 -- Proposals by the Obama administration to kill two tax provisions important to oil and gas companies would do economic harm worth more than the revenue they would raise for the government, according to a study commissioned by the American Energy Alliance.
http://bit.ly/aqInSP

Modern Techniques for a Mature Field

Schlumberger

"Collaboration revitalizes Casabe"

http://bit.ly/aQy2pV

LME confirms encouraging start to cobalt & moly trading

Commodities Now
"To date, 4,047 lots of cobalt have traded (equivalent to 4,047 tonnes / $161 million). Molybdenum trading has seen 321 lots traded (equivalent to 1,926 tonnes / $69 million)."
http://bit.ly/aUD9ir

Fear and hope in Potash town

The Australian
Business with The Wall Street Journal
Phred Dvorak From: The Wall Street Journal
http://bit.ly/czWVtZ

Russian box throughput rise

'The aggregated throughput of the National Container Company terminals in St Petersburg and Novorossiysk (FCT and NUTEP) in the first half of 2010 rose by 32% compared to the first half of 2009."
Port Strategy
http://bit.ly/9t9DSH

Containers to have ‘banner year’

Port Strategy
http://bit.ly/bIepNS
"World containerised trade volumes are forecast to reach nearly 10.0% growth this year, with a slightly stronger recovery of 10.6% on the main East-West trade lanes before slowing, according to IHS Global Insight's World Trade Service."

Cocoa goes lower as signs supply pressure may ease

Confectionery News. com
Jane Byrne
http://bit.ly/cY18id