Commodities

Washington-- Soaring fuel prices may be busting U.S. consumers' travel budget but they're boosting returns on pension fund investments, analysts said.

Washington -- Speculative commodity trading that pushes prices upward needs to be reined in U.S. senators in Washington said.

Chicago -- Weather concerns pressured U.S. grain prices Monday, including a report of continued dry weather in Australia's province New South Wales.

By Christopher Barker:

Sometimes even the tastiest meals are difficult to stomach. If you have an aversion to certain ingredients, or you just don't like the presentation, all the flavor in the world won't save the meal. Barrick Gold (NYSE: ABX) is like that as an investment. I find the "meats" -- gold and copper -- most appetizing. But when the chef tosses in forward hedge contracts, insider selling, and project delays, though, that starts to look to me like a waste.

Lighten up ... rotate out ... take a little off the table.

Whatever you call it, it means "selling." And selling is tricky business. So before you pull the rip cord, ask yourself this:

New York -- Speculators running to the commodities markets in recent weeks run the same risk as standard investments on Wall Street and involve some of the same players.

NEW YORK -- The price of crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped Friday, then climbed above $105 per barrel to finish the week.

New York -- Investors have turned from risky securities in recent months literally to bread and butter investments, namely raw commodities, such as metals, grains and oil.

It's been a good week to loosen your belt by a few notches. That's what some patrons are bound to do as they shuffle off after heavy meals at their local Bob Evans (Nasdaq: BOBE) or Steak n Shake (NYSE: SNS) locations. They may as well treat quarterly reports the same way.

According to a statement released by the US government on Wednesday, the prices of consumer goods rose by 0.2 percent in June 2007. The rise was specifically more on food items. Offsetting this to an extent was a fall in gasoline and other energy prices.

Beijing -- China's trade surplus for the first half of the year will likely top $100 billion but then ease, the official Xinhua news agency reported Monday.

London -- For the first time in generations food prices around the world are surging, it was reported Saturday.