Author Archives: Jim Sutliff

Natural Gas Continues To Decline –

Natural gas inventories continued to rise and increased 57 bcf last week.  The inventory rise and the warmer weather are sending natural gas prices lower in trading.  Henry Hub natural gas delivery prices fell to $2.00 per million British Thermal Units.  That marks … Continue reading

Posted in General, Infrastructure, Investments, Natural Gas, Trading | Leave a comment

Treasuries Rise –

The yield on 10 year Treasures fell 7 basis points in afternoon trading on Tuesday.  The demand for Treasuries increased after there were declines in homes prices and consumer confidence.  There was also higher demand for the sale of $35 billion of … Continue reading

Posted in Economic News, General, Investments, Trading, Treasury | Leave a comment

Crude Oil Rises On Iran –

Crude oil spent most of the day in a trading range of $105 to $108 a barrel.  The rise in crude oil prices and trading volatility came after oil exports from Iran were estimated to have dropped 300,000 barrels a day.  The weaker … Continue reading

Posted in Economic News, Gasoline, General, Investments, Oil, Options & Futures, Trading | Leave a comment

Gold Continues Decline –

Gold continued to slide and fell to the lowest level since January 25th.  Traders weighed Federal Reserve statements on the economy and gold fell almost 2 percent.  Gold traded near $1,670 an ounce and continued to decline in electronic trading. To read … Continue reading

Posted in Economic News, Federal Reserve, General, Interest Rates, Investments, Metals, Options & Futures, Trading, Treasury | Leave a comment

Euro Falls –

The Euro fell to almost $1.31 after indications that the economy for the Euro region contracted.  The Australian and Canadien dollars both declined against the U.S. Dollar.  In addition, the Norwegian Krone dropped 1.6 percent to 5.706. To read a related … Continue reading

Posted in Currency, Economic News, Euro, General, Investments, Trading | Leave a comment

Gold & Silver Rally –

Gold hit a three month high rising $13.50 and settled at $1,788.40 an ounce.  Silver also rallied to settle at $37.14 an ounce which was an increase of 4.6%.  In addition, copper and platinum  increased with copper rising .8% to $3.91 a pound and … Continue reading

Posted in Currency, Economic News, Euro, General, Investments, Metals, Trading | Leave a comment

Crude Oil Almost Hits $110 –

Crude oil almost hit $110 in Friday trading and settled at $109.77 a barrel.  This is the highest level that oil has traded at in the last 9 months.   The conflict with Iran is the driving force behind higher trading prices.  Iran is … Continue reading

Posted in Economic News, General, Investments, Oil, OPEC, Options & Futures, Trading | Leave a comment

Gold Rises On Greek Bailout –

Gold prices rose to over $1,755 an ounce after European Union finance ministers agreed to another Greek bailout.  The second Greek bailout provided by the Euro zone is approximately $172 billion.  In Tuesday trading, gold hit the highest mark since February 3rd.  Silver also traded … Continue reading

Posted in Banking, Bonds, Economic News, General, Investments, Metals, Options & Futures, Trading | Leave a comment

Natural Gas Futures End Lower –

Natural gas continued to slide with March futures falling almost 2% to $2.431.  Mild winter weather forecasts lowered expectations of heating demand for the next week.  In addition, natural gas supplies have remained well above average levels. To read a related Wall Street … Continue reading

Posted in Economic News, General, Investments, Natural Gas, Options & Futures, Trading | Leave a comment

Greece Agrees To Bailout –

Greek leaders agreed to terms for a second bailout of approximately $172 billion dollars.  The Greek parliament stills need to ratify the agreement as well as major reductions in spending.  European Union finance ministers would than have to provide final approval for … Continue reading

Posted in Bonds, Currency, Economic News, Euro, General, Investments | Leave a comment

Fitch Cuts Credit Ratings –

Fitch lowered the credit ratings for the sovereign debt of five Euro region nations.  The five nations included Italy, Spain, Belgium, Cyprus, and Slovenia.  The credit rating for Italy was cut to A- and the rating for Spain fell to A.  Italy has the … Continue reading

Posted in Banking, Bonds, Economic News, General, Investments, Trading | Leave a comment

Natural Gas Edges Up –

Natural gas rose slightly at the end of the week and closed at $3.062.  Forecasts of colder weather countered inventory reports which had sent natural gas prices lower.  Colder weather is expected in the Northeast for January 16th through the 20th.    Warmer than normal … Continue reading

Posted in Economic News, General, Investments, Metals, Natural Gas, Oil, Options & Futures, Trading | Leave a comment

Euro Trades Lower –

The European debt crisis has forced the Euro lower in trading over the last few months.  Recent weeks have shown a steeper decline as recessionary concerns mounted and the debt crisis remained unresolved.  The Euro fell below $1.27 in Friday trading before … Continue reading

Posted in Banking, Currency, Economic News, Euro, General, Investments, Trading | Leave a comment

Federal Reserve To Release Forecasts –

The Federal Reserve has announced that they will release their forecasts for the Federal funds rate.  The move will increase transparency at the Federal Reserve at may help with financial planning for businesses and investors.  Monetary policy expectations should be released at the … Continue reading

Posted in Banking, Bonds, Economic News, Federal Reserve, General, Interest Rates, Investments, Regulatory, Stocks, Treasury | Leave a comment

Crude Oil Settles Over $101 –

Crude oil continued to climb and settled over $101 a barrel.  Geopolitical forces pushed crude higher as traders returned on Tuesday.  Supply reports may weigh heavily on trading activity in the next few weeks.  Warmer than normal temperatures in the northeast could increase supplies and send crude … Continue reading

Posted in Economic News, Gasoline, General, Investments, Oil, Options & Futures, Trading | Leave a comment