Financial Markets

As expected, as the funds exit the commodities markets, prices have declined precipitiously.

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As I have always maintained, commodity speculators (index funds etc) drive the underlying commodities markets today wiithout any regard to fundamentals. The CFTC now looks totally naive/embarrassed, because they either did not know or if they did, did not want to limit/curb the markets which they oversee.         A Few Speculators Dominate Vast Market [...]

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Boone Pickens views are always illuminating : Article location:http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/126/a-mighty-wind.html May 9, 2008 Texas Oil Tycoon Tackles Renewable Energy By David Case As you alight from the elevator, you see, at the end of a long, paneled corridor, a huge Wilson Hurley painting of a Mars sunset bleeding from rust to black; in one corner soars [...]

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Last week, the oil company executives listed below, delivered prepared remarks on the reasons why the price of oil is around $135/barrel today. In a nutshell: O World economic growth, specifically 2-3 billion in  people in China/India rising into the middle class and seeking better lifestyles O National Oil Companies(NOC), state owned, control about 80% of world reserves; consequently [...]

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U.S. Department of Energy to Invest up to $13.7 Million for Breakthrough Solar Energy Projects 11 Projects selected from universities across the country WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced that DOE will invest up to $13.7 million, over three years (Fiscal Years 2008 – 2010), for 11 university-led projects that [...]

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From a seminar in California,  November 20th, 2007 : Dr. Peter Borden, a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff with the Solar Business Group of Applied Materials, recently shared several insights from his history in solar power. Long involved professionally with solar power, Dr. Borden has installed a SunPower solar system and a flash water [...]

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The above chart shows the prices for the continuous electronic futures contract for crude oil traded at the New York Mercantile Exchange. In the earlier years the prices show the pit equivalent(contract size twice the electronic contract of 500 gals), while the more recent values reflect the electronic mini contract.

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President Bush today announced  in the Rose Garden new national goals: to stop the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emission by 2025. He said : I have put our nation on a path to slow, stop, and eventually reverse the growth of our greenhouse gas emissions. In 2002, I announced our first step: to reduce [...]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEc8Xzn1WqU&hl=en For background on the story from the Wikipedia : Joseph D. Jamail, Jr (born October 19, 1925 in Houston, Texas) is a Lebanese American attorney and billionaire. One of the wealthiest lawyers in America, he is frequently referred to as the King of Torts. In 1985, Mr. Jamail represented Pennzoil in a lawsuit against [...]

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