COMMODITIES

Oil major BP Plc said the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had cost it $350 million so far, suggesting the final bill could be much higher than many analysts predicted and sending its shares to a six-month low.

Till recently, Victoria was just another state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is all set to witness the second gold rush in the coming days after the discovery of gold for the first time in 1851 at Ballarat and Warrandyte transformed it into a leading industrial and commercial centre.

Who says gold is the safe haven for investors now? It seems, if you take into consideration the present scenario in the global markets, gold is the most unsafe investment now. As is the tradition, gold thrives whenever there is a crisis or tragedy. This time around, it was Greece financial crisis, Spain and Portugal dilemma and the Iceland volcano mess and the gold ETFs fraud unraveled by the US commodity exchange regulator. Even as analysts made a big fuss about the gold's safe haven importance...

Global oil prices advanced in Asian trade Monday mainly on IMF's aid pack approval for Greece, that might boost energy demand. Light sweet crude for June delivery was seen trading at 76.74 a barrel at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while Brent crude was at $ 79.76 a barrel at the same time in London.

In a situation when the commodity prices are shooting up and giving sleepless nights to the consumers, it has become a common practice to blame Futures trading for the price-rise in the commodities. Futures trading, which has been a historically followed practice in India, has, in recent times, found so many detractors, who have been arguing intermittently for a ban on futures trading when prices of a particular commodity surpass the realistic levels. However, the Union government does apply m...

Gold prices eased in Asian trade Monday after Greek aid pack approval by EU eased concerns over debt crisis in the region. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1195.31 an ounce at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while U.S. June gold futures was at 1200.69 an ounce at the same time.

BP Plc could be spending as much as $10 million a day on clean-up efforts after a giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, exceeding initial estimates, the Sunday Telegraph quoted Chief Executive Tony Hayward as saying.

Collection G, the brand owned by World Gold Council (WGC) and retailed at Gitanjali, has announced the launch of an exciting new range and design of Collection G pieces. Ex-Miss Indias' Ekta Chaudhary and Pooja Chopra launched the new range from Collection G at Giantti store at Atria Mall in Mumbai. The collection is available across all Gitanjali Stores in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

Oil ministers from several OPEC nations played down on Saturday a sharp fall in prices, but Kuwait said another $10 drop may force the group into action.

China's General Administration of Customs on Friday said export value of textiles and garments in China fell 9.54% year on year or 12.9% month on month to $11 billion in March. In its latest report, the GAC said the export value of textile products was $5.05 billion in March, up 6.7% year on year and 10.6% month on month.

It seems gold is heading for a perfect future as almost all incidents unraveling across the world in April and May months are helping the yellow metal gain. If you take into consideration the recent developments like the Greece debt crisis, Spain and Portugal economic woes, the Euro situation, China's decision to control the realty sector and the May 7 verdict by India's Supreme Court in the Ambani gas row case, all of this have contributed to the further push of gold in global and India markets...

A recent spurt in gold prices seems to have dampened the zeal of India-based gold consumers as experts have expressed concern over a significant drop in gold sale on Akshaya Tithiya, a day considered to be auspicious to buy gold in India. Gold prices are on an upward rally nearing its lifetime high of USD 1240 per ounce. The spot gold in New York market stood at USD 1208 per ounce witnessing a steep rise in the past one month.

World over, copper and some other base metals have been witnessing a downfall season now following the European financial mess and China's decision to crack down on realty sector. Copper's downward journey was also witnessed in India this week with copper futures traded almost flat as worries about growing fiscal crisis in Europe hit global markets. In copper 316 remains a crucial resistance, prices might drift towards 312-310 rupees.

And you thought India is a country which loves to buy only gold. Till the beginning of the 21st century, the image of India was that almost all Indians want to buy gold as far as precious metals are concerned. But the reforms initiated by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has changed the dreams of the younger generation with many of them now eyeing other precious metals like platinum. Even diamonds have also become a favourite for young women and men.

The Supreme Court verdict in the gas row between Ambani brothers Mukesh and Anil has come as a gift for Mukesh, the Indian government and gold. Yes, apart from Mukesh Ambani and the Indian government, gold also cashed in on the crisis after the Supreme Court delivered the verdict in the RIL-RNRL dispute.

In a week of market turmoil resulting from Greece's fiscal crisis, oil went from an intraday high above $87 on Monday - its highest point in more than a year and a half - to plunge briefly below $75 on Friday. The Greek crisis, exacerbated by a still-unexplained glitch in U.S. stock trading on Thursday that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunge 9% in a matter of minutes before recovering, sent financial speculators scrambling for the sidelines, liquidating their long positions.

Tokyo Commodity Exchange Inc reopened the gas oil futures market and resumed trading today at 9:00 JST. TOCOM listed the gas oil futures contract in September 2003 but suspended it in February 2006. TOCOM resumed the gas oil futures contract today after trading had been suspended since 2006. We had requested that the exchange restarts the contract in light of the highly volatile situation of the international oil industry as well as the oil distribution market in recent years, commented Akihik...

China's GDP growth will slow down from 11.9% in Q1 to 9% in Q4.Lower productivity growth, adverse demographics and lower returns to capital will reduce future potential GDP growth in China to around 9%. The peak is already evidenced in the data: Industrial production has turned and the growth in power, coal, cement, steel and auto production has slowed down. The circulation of money and credit, a major driver of commodity demand, could slow the economy down further, a Bank of America-Merrill Ly...

Global oil prices remained highly volatile in Asian trade Friday as the euro strengthened against the dollar. Light sweet crude for June delivery was seen trading at $77.61 a barrel at 12.00 noon Singapore time while Brent crude was at $79.95 a barrel at the same time in London. Commodities priced in dollars, such as oil, become more expensive for investors holding euros as the U.S. currency strengthens.

Gold prices eased in Asian trade Friday, after an overnight surge, as investors turned to profit booking. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $ 1206.71 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time while US gold futures for June delivery was at $1,200.40at the same time.

We have been informed by sources in the US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Florida Department of Environmental Protection that the Obama White House and British Petroleum (BP), which pumped $71,000 into Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign -- more than John McCain or Hillary Clinton, are covering up the magnitude of the volcanic-level oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and working together to limit BP's liability for damage caused by what can be call...

Steel prices are set to suffer a setback in the coming days as China is bracing fro a slowdown in realty sector and the American Iron & Steel Industries reported a rise of US domestic raw steel production, which was 1.754 million tonnes while the capability utilization rate was 72.5% in the week ended on May 1.

The worst part of the world's current financial crisis is still on its way. The enormous debt levels present in our financial system is central to this crisis. This huge debt levels could cause the world's monetary system to collapse, starting with the weaker currencies and quickly making its way to the major ones. Day by day the premier signal (gold price) of this collapse is getting clearer and should encourage more people to run for cover.

Azerbaijan's state oil company SOCAR said Thursday that an agreement has been reached with Turkey concerning the price of Azerbaijani gas and its transit through Turkish territory. The new agreement will enable the smooth functioning of the Nabucco gas project.

Uganda's third gold refinery named Victoria Gold Star started operations with a capacity to refine 60kg of gold daily. The refinery, built with the help of Russian investors at a cost of around $1.5million, was located at Fifth Industrial area in country's capital Kampala.

This week the world got a taste of the things to come for base metal mining companies in the world. Almost all companies involved in mining have posted lucrative gains in the financial year results. One major aluminium producing company, Vedanta, has posted 187 per cent surge in annual earnings per share on a rebound in metals prices and stronger output.

Oil hovered near $80 a barrel on Thursday, after earlier hitting a six-week low as fears that Greece's economic crisis may spread to other European nations raised uncertainty over future global energy demand. The euro fell to a 14-month low, while the U.S. dollar strengthened as skepticism that Greece could deliver on its promises of strict austerity measures dominated financial markets.

India's state owned oil companies would be increasing production from oil fields in Venezuela. India's petroleum minister Minister Murli Deora met the visiting Venezuelan Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Temir Porras Poncelon here and conveyed the decision.

Ukraine said it will press for changes in the natural gas price formula fixed by Russia's Gazprom and its Naftohaz Ukrainy national oil and gas company. Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said here, We have agreed that we will work on this, since the formula does not satisfy us.