It appears the swindlers are after swine these days. According to a CNBC article “Hog Wild: The Great Bacon Crime Spree of 2011,” thieves are stealing hogs from Midwest farms by the dozens, and sometimes hundreds. Considering hogs weigh close to 300 pounds, that’s quite a load. Year-to-date, pork bellies are up more than 13 [...]

The media seems to love market adages—and so do traders. If you read financial market news, you’ve no doubt heard some unusual sayings to describe price action, historical events, or trading strategies. In futures trading, “the trend is your friend” is a popular mantra, while in stock market circles, you may hear the phrase, “buy [...]

For the month of May, silver was tarnished, falling 21 percent, while gold also lost some luster, ending down about 1.4 percent. Meanwhile, two morning breakfast staples ranked as the best-performing commodities for the month. Oat futures rose 9.5 percent in May while orange juice futures rose 8.2 percent View the performance of various commodities. [...]

While the Federal Reserve doesn’t seem too worried about inflation, it has certainly appeared on some Christmas gift lists.  If you want to buy each of the 12 items mentioned in the popular song, “The 12 Days of Christmas,” it would set you back $23,439 this year, an increase of 9.2 percent versus 2009, according [...]

According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, the cost of a traditional Thanksgiving meal rose 1.3 percent this year, costing $43.47  to feed a family of 10.  On a percentage basis, the increase is close in line with the economy’s overall inflation rate in 2010, at 1.3% (as measured by the Consumer Price Index). While [...]

If you’re not familiar with the term “quantitative easing” here’s an interesting video explaining the “magic” behind how it works. The Federal Reserve will provide details on Wednesday about its plan to buy more government bonds, an action commonly referred to as “quantitative easing.”

by Drew Shaw The moving average convergence-divergence oscillator, or more commonly referred to by its acronym “MACD,” is a well-known buy/sell indicator frequently used by technical analysts. Due to the popularity of this particular indicator among traders, I strongly suggest that you take a few minutes to understand its mechanics. The MACD oscillates above and [...]

Economists are constantly mining data to determine where the economy is headed. A recent Wall Street Journal article showed how increased coffee and donut consumption reflects more than just jitters and jiggly bellies. (Article excerpt below.)

by Aaron Fennell This year’s hurricane season could prove to be an active one. There are some factors energy traders need to keep in mind regarding how the markets will react as any storms develop, and the differences in volatility between various products. Hurricanes often move through the Gulf of Mexico, which contains an extensive [...]

by Aaron Fennell It was a wild first week of May for the markets as investors’ fears about debt problems in the Eurozone intensified. A nearly $1 trillion bailout package quickly brought market stability, but I think it might prove to be just a band-aid for the Eurozone and not a cure.