Well, this is the week that was, which has unfortunately been overshadowed by the catastrophic disaster in Haiti.
This week we have learned that the SPR (= strategic petroleum reserve) is full (yep, we paid for that), that US natural gas storage can have the largest weekly withdrawal of the winter and still cause prices to tumble, and that China is trying its darndest to hold back a runaway-train economy by throwing some anchors onto the caboose (by applying banking restrictions to curb lending). Anyhow, here is this week’s Burrito bites, have a top weekend:
–The Economist print edition leads with a piece echoing the sentiment (and first words) of my post humdrum conundrums…… something has got to give.
–Not necessarily relevant, but interesting – why are traffic jams so bad on Mondays? - all roads lead to The Carpenters……
–The commodity super cycle is alive and well – two weeks into 2010, and a consistent theme among the investment community is for a bull market in commodities.
–This is a little bit heavy-going, but highlights the still-rather large cracks on the pathway to a US recovery - the yield curve can’t drive profits if banks won’t lend.
–Not relevant at all…the Christmas Day underwear bomber is hampering chefs from smuggling meats into the US.
–What are the best energy stocks to invest in? Don’t ask me, read what the true stock jockeys have to say.
–UK natural gas becomes a popular topic due to gas balancing alerts (aka panic buttons), and the story proceeds to run on and on.
–The twenty best moments on The Simpsons.
–A long but worthwhile story about whether carbon-trading in the US is just another complex derivative market for a select few to make their billions in.
The Burnt Burrito Award of the week is for the BLS. Unemployment data may seem to be getting better all the time (it couldn’t get any worse….or could it?), but current statistics show that if I were to lose my job today, I would likely to be out of work for another 29.1 weeks before finding a new one, according to the latest Nonfarm Payroll release for December. I would go nuts if I was out of work for essentially 300, 000 minutes.
The Burrito Deluxe Award of the week goes to anyone who has helped in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, be it a doctor or a $10 donation – rock on.
