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China inflation data adds to tightening case

China inflation data adds to tightening case
Chinese inflation hit a lower-than-forecast 4.9 percent in January, but price pressures excluding food were their strongest in at least a decade and will force the central bank to keep tightening monetary policy.
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Gold steadies ahead of Fed as haven buying wanes

The main gold exchange-traded fund, the SPDR Gold Trust, recorded its biggest ever one-day outflow on Tuesday. The precious metal is taking some support from physical demand after its slide to its lowest since October 28, but buying interest remains lackluster.

Analysis: Be careful what you wish for: the China Price starts

Call it the price of success. China is starting to pass on the rising cost of labor and other manufacturing inputs as it restructures its economy, creating a potential new inflation headache for Western countries already grappling with surging commodity prices.

HK stocks seen higher after HSBC-led breakout

Hong Kong stocks are likely to rise further on Thursday with traders expecting momentum to continue after the benchmark convincingly broke through short-term chart resistance on high volumes.
Spain's King Juan Carlos walks with members of Cepsa during his visit to a Cepsa refinery in Palos de la Frontera

Rising demand should push up crude oil prices in 2011

Many investment banks and commodity analysts have taken a highly bullish stance on crude oil prices for 2011, based largely on economic recovery in the U.S., continued money-printing by the Federal Reserve (thereby, weakening U.S. dollar) and persistent high demand from the emerging markets, particularly China and India.
An Allstate insurance office is shown in San Francisco, California

Allstate sues BofA, Countrywide for $700 mln over toxic securities

Allstate Corp., the largest publicly traded U.S. home and auto insurer, has accused Bank of America (BofA) and its lending unit, Countrywide Financial, of misrepresenting the risk associated with mortgage-backed securities it bought from them beginning 2005, and is suing them for more than $700 million.
Germany's Chancellor Merkel addresses a news conference at the end of a EU leaders summit in Brussels

Germany running out of patience with weaker euro nations

Although some progress appears to be being made in the euro zone sovereign debt crisis – including the passage of an austerity budget by the Greek Parliament today and a capital injection into Allied Irish Bank (NYSE: AIB) – the most important member of the euro currency bloc, Germany, is unlikely to foot the total bill that will be required to truly resolve this issue.
U.S. President Barack Obama prays next to House Minority Leader John Boehner before speaking at the GOP House Issues Conference in Baltimore

Bush tax cut extensions likely to help small businesses; impact on stocks unclear

Longer-term, the potential impact of the tax cuts upon the stock market and economy remain rather fuzzy, given the multitude of other issues facing investors, including perpetually high unemployment in the U.S., a seemingly never-ending sovereign debt crisis in Europe and constant friction with China over trade and currency.
Crude in recent years

CRUDE OIL- Strategy more fundamental than technical

Performance of the US dollar, Europe's periphery issues, inflation in developing world, consumption by developed ones, and of late, tensions in Korean peninsula- a lot of things are weighing on oil. The net result in recent weeks was positive for the greenback and therefore negative for oil. Still, the commodity is set to end this week with a positive note despite losing more than a dollar from its intra-week high by Friday. So, what is the trend? Where is oil heading?
Nymex WTI futures performance versus USD index - OPEC data

OIL OUTLOOK: How long will it stay ranged? Will it rise above $100?

Dollar, Korea, Ireland, Asian demand, inventories and technicals - a lot of things are weighing on oil now. But market participants find the question if the commodity has reached its bottom technically and on robust demand in some regions, or will a dollar rally or geopolitical developments force it break below the current range, tough to answer.
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Continous money printing will drive gold ever higher: An Interview with Mr. Rose, CEO of Capital Gold Group

With our debt coming to maturity in the next ten years, which we cannot afford to pay, printing money seems to be our only option, which we feel is going to spur inflation, if not hyperinflation. We also feel if we adjusted gold for the inflationary highs of the 80's, gold bullion should already be at $2,200 an ounce, so we feel very strongly about a further drive up in gold over the next five years.

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