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The grain and oilseed markets have made a historic and unprecedented performance. Corn reached an all-time high in Apr. 1996 and surpassed its 1980 mark of $4.19-1/4. Wheat also followed in the bull market and made impressive rallies. Soybeans was also a third leader but did not become an independent market. Lands put in the Acreage Reduction Program and the increased demand from Pacific Rim countries due to cheap prices have caused the rallies of the grains market., High exports, low inventories and the question of weather all contribute to the huge moves in the grains markets. Corn and wheat have hit the fast track - and could [...]

Lost in last year's financial headlines of the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index's 30 percent rise were the market sectors that lost money, such as emerging markets and precious [...]

Rich investors should consider investing 5% to 10% of their money in gold as a hedge against a financial crisis. Gold has proven its value over a long time and it is a way to diversify one's portfolio.

The coming cocoa harvest should be enough to address the gaps in 2009's short crop and recovering demand and problems in the Ivory Coast may keep prices above the $3,000 a metric ton level. Good weather as well as no disease should help Ivory Coast grow 1.1 million to 1.2 milllion metric tons of cocoa.

Gold will continue to be attractive as long as real interest rates stay low and sovereign debt worries persist. Selling out-of-the-money call options can be a good move for investors who see a short-term top in gold.

There should not have been a soybean price rally given the oversupply in the U.S. and South America but Sotuh American farmers are not selling yet so there is no downward price pressure yet. The prices are being bid up by speculative traders and ivnestment funds.

Live cattle prices are expected to drop during the summer of 2010 as demand is expected to decline. June 2010 contract live cattle futures prices stood at 91.75 cents a pound but could fall 20%.

Long-term cotton prices could fall due to a higher projected cotton supply as farmers take advantage of high cotton prices to plant cotton. The May 2010 contract for cotton stood at 82.46 cents per pound but could fall to as low as 74 cents per pound.

Commodity markets will be influenced heavily by interest rate movements in 2010. Gold prices are forecast to hit a peak of $1,4 00/ounce before falling to $1,200, while oil prices could rise to $85/barrel.

Cotton prices, which have hit a 13-month high of $0.7427/lb, appear to be too high despite the presence of real price supports. The continued high cotton prices is seen as unsustainable due to the presence of alternatives and the possibility of increased cotton acreage.

The impact of El Nino on commodity markets may be uncertain as meteorologists predict a weak to moderate El Nino for 2009-2010. The effects of the El Nino on the Mi dwestern and Eastern US could be minimal.

Raw sugar experienced a rally in the first half of 2009 and the long term outlook for sugar prices is still good. However, there is a likely near-term correction due to the onset of Brazilian harvest that could be 20.7 percent higher for 2009 as compared to the previous year and October contracts could fall to 15.61 cents per pound.

Investors expect cocoa prices to decline to $1,900-2,000/metric ton with a continuing decline in demand due to a slowdown in the global economy. July 2009 cocoa contract prices were at $2,420/metric ton, boosted by a weak US dollar.

Soybean acreage in the US is expected to increase in 2009 at the expense of corn as farmers look to save on costs. Corn prices rose to $4.3475 a bushel, while soybean prices rose to $9.1475 a bushel.

The prices of agricultural commodities are expected to rise in 2009 due to potential production problems and higher demand. Prices of base metals and gold are forecast to stay in a tight range, but crude oil prices will decline due to low demand.

Commodity prices have dropped from the highs set in the summer of 2008, with the Dow Jones-AIG Commodity Index dropping 21.34% in October 2008. Financial analysts fear that the sudden drop in commodity prices might bring in deflation.

Corn and soybean prices rose 17.5% and 11% respectively since early June 2008 due to flooding in the American Midwest, setting record highs in the process. The US Department of Agriculture has to wait for the flooded lands to dry up before measuring acreage data.

The 53 percent increase in the price of rice for 2008 is attributed to export bans by major world suppliers of rice such as Vietnam, India, and Egypt. The $20 per hundredweight price level of rice could hold for much of 2008. U.S. sales of rice were good for a while but saw some slowdown around April, 2008. The U.S. produces mostly long-grain rice while Asian consumers prefer medium- and short-grain varieties may be one reason why Asians are not buying from the U.S.

Analysts expected crude oil price to increase up to $100-a-barrel and gold price to grow over $8000 an ounce in 2007, however, it was the grains market which saw the biggest price increase during the year. The biggest price increase was not in the corn segment but in wheat, whose price doubled from around $5 a bushel in 2006 to $10 a bushel in 2007. The prices of other commodities in the year 2007 are provided.

The rise in rice prices is expected to track price rises in other grains such as wheat and corn. The drop in rice prices that comes with harvesting of rice in Asian countries is expected to be limited.

Record prices for corn, wheat and soybeans have boosted crop planning of U.S farmers for 2008. The strong demand and tight supply for the grains has driven these record prices. Cotton is likely to lose acreage over food stocks in light of these trends.

The Federal Reserve recently cut half a percentage point off the federal funds rate, with some saying it is bound to benefit inflation hedge. Implications of this on the commodities market are discussed.

The hike in the prices of vegetable oils due to usage of corn in ethanol production is discussed.

The acreage increase in plantation of corn in the United States due to rising corn prices, in view of demand for ethanol, is discussed.

The impact of the increase in the cultivation of wheat, on the prices of wheat in the international market, is described.

The annual performance of global commodity markets of 2006 is discussed. Energy, gold, silver, base metal and food grain industries witnessed variations in stock prices.

Corn production and its impact on commodities is examined. Topics include ethanol demand and acreage projections.

Wheat prices have gone up globally as the wheat output has decreased due to extreme weather. A rally in French wheat futures spurred the US markets, especially the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), and Europe's weather has prompted the London's International Grains Commission to cut its estimate of global wheat production for 2006-2007 by 3 million tons, to 593 tons.

The sharp increase in corn prices announced by the Chicago Board of Trade, and optimum spring weather conditions have convinced corn farmers that trade corn acreage would climb from the March 2006 figures. They expect the bigger acreage to help boost the crop size, and the conducive spring weather to push the crop-yields.

The surprising disclosure by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) about farmers intending to plant 5 percent fewer acres of corn that pushed corn prices higher by 3 percent at the Chicago Board of Trade is reported. The chief reason given by farmer's reluctance to plant more corn is cost of fertilizer which is related to Natural gas, whose price has risen sharply and if bad weather keeps the farmers from their fields, corn prices could rise again.

The Chicago board of Trade grain markets are rallying on a prolonged dry spell in parts of the Midwest. The eastern Corn Belt such as Midwestern areas east of the Mississippi River missed the rains that would have charged its soils with moisture to help soybean and corn crops through summer in 2005.

The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) soybean futures traded briefly at $6.66 a bushel on March 11, 2005, the highest level in nearly eight months. The futures are well above their contract low of $5.01 set on February 4, 2005 by the CBOT, due to a drought in Brazil that resulted in less production of soybeans.

The article offers suggestions from Marc Leavey, primary care specialist at Lutherville Personal Physicians, on getting a great night's sleep by finding a perfect pillow. Topics discussed include use of a low-loft pillow, according to Brandon Berman, sleep expert for sleep-products company Reverie, medium-support pillow providing back sleepers adequate support, and need of firm support for side sleepers to keep the spine aligned with the shoulders.