Quick Overview

• U.S. jobless claims were up 4,000 to 340,000 last week.
  

• The U.S. Commerce Department said that retail sales were 1.4% higher in April.
  

• The USDA's 2005-2006 U.S. ending stocks estimate for:
  Corn is 2.540 billion bushels, up from 2.214 billion bushels in 2004-2005.
  Soybeans is 290 million bushels, down from 355 million bushels in 2004-2005.
  Wheat is 678 million bushels, up from 541 million bushels in 2004-2005.
  Sugar is 759,000 tons, down from 1,343,000 tons in 2004-2005.
  Cotton is 6.30 million bales, down from 7.10 million bales in 2004-2005.
  

• The USDA's 2005-2006 world ending stocks estimate for:
  Corn is 122 million tons, down from 129 million tons in 2004-2005.
  Wheat is 147 million tons, down from 150 million tons in 2004-2005.
  Cotton is 45 million bales, down from 49 million bales in 2004-2005.
  

• The USDA kept its estimate of Florida's orange production at 151 million boxes, but increased the estimated juice yield from 1.58 to 1.60 gallons per box at 42.0 degrees Brix.
  

• The USDA estimated this year's U.S. winter wheat production at 1.59 billion bushels, up 6% YoY.
  

• Bullish outlook for FedEx ..FedEx reiterated that it expects profit to range between $1.40 per share to $1.50 per share for the fiscal fourth quarter ending May 31.

• Shipbuilder continuing to book new orders... the world's three largest shipyards, have been winning orders at record prices to build more technologically complex vessels.

• YoY Germany's GDP was up 1.0% in the first quarter.
  

• Australia's unemployment rate stayed at 5.1% in April.
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that underground natural gas supplies were up 54 billion cubic feet last week to 1.509 trillion cubic feet. Supplies are now up 17% from a year ago.
  

• Italy's GDP contracted 0.5% in the first quarter of 2005, weaker than expected.
  

Seeing vessels half empty?The advance of globalisation and booming world trade have provided bumper profits for the world’s container-ship companies

Investment Tools Shipping Index

Quick Overview

• The U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly to $55.0 billion in March in the largest drop in over three years, as exports hit a record and imports from China declined. March exports were $102.2 billion and imports were $157.2 billion resulting in a goods and services deficit of $55.0 billion, $5.6 billion less than the $60.6 billion in February.
  
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that crude oil supplies were up 2.7 million barrels last week to 329.7 million barrels. Unleaded supplies were up 200,000 barrels and heating oil supplies were up 500,000 barrels. September crude oil closed down $1.28 at $52.75.
  

• The Bank of England lowered its 2005 growth estimate from 2.7% to 2.6%. Imports in the U.K. were down 0.4% in March and exports were up 3.4%.
  

• Canada's exports were up 0.2% to C$35.8 billion in March and imports were stable at C$31.5 billion.
  

• The International Energy Agency said that China's demand for oil increased 4.5% in the first quarter from a year ago.

• YoY consumer prices in Germany were up 1.6% in April .
  

• YoY Household spending in Japan was down 0.2% in March.
  
  
• Canada's trade surplus hit C$4.2 billion ($3.4 billion) in March, up from February's revised figure of C$4.15 billion, Statistics Canada said on Wednesday.
  
  
• China has not changed its currency policy, the central bank said on Wednesday, after financial markets were worked up by a report in the nation's top newspaper that predicted the yuan would be revalued next week. On the other hand, Goldman thinks that the Chinese renminbi could be revalued by 5-10%, so says Hong Liang, Executive Director and China Economist at Goldman Sachs Asia

Real wages in the US are falling at their fastest rate in 14 years, according to data surveyed by the Financial Times.
Inflation rose 3.1 per cent in the year to March but salaries climbed just 2.4 per cent, according to the Employment Cost Index. In the final three months of 2004, real wages fell by 0.9 per cent.

Quick Overview

• The British Retail Consortium said that year-over-year same store sales in the U.K. were down 4.7% in April , the biggest plunge in at least ten years

• Deloitte Research said that US consumer spending slowed in April due to lower wages and higher taxes.

The June S&P 500 is lower due to unconfirmed rumors that a large London hedge fund may be in financial trouble."I think there's a lot of concern out there that where there's smoke there's fire as far as these hedge fund rumors, and what does it mean for the rest of the market and is there another shoe to drop type of thing"

Confidence in US economy at lowest since 2001 Investor's Business Daily and TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence said their economic optimism index slipped 0.2 points to 47.2 from April's 47.4. A reading above 50 indicates optimism while a reading below 50 indicates pessimism.

REUTERS AND JEFFERIES ANNOUNCE SIGNIFICANT UPDATE TO CRB INDEX
Effective June 20, 2005, the Index will undergo its tenth revision, amending its components to include three additional commodities (unleaded gasoline, aluminum and nickel) and remove one commodity (platinum). Component weightings will now take into account the relative significance and liquidity of the various commodities markets. In addition, the Index will rebalance its component weightings monthly and will derive its value from nearby futures prices.

Worth more than its weight in silver for burns
The cleansing power of silver was known in the days of the Roman Empire, when silver coins were placed in jugs of water to help keep them pure. The metal seems to disable an enzyme that many types of bacteria use to generate energy. Also, silver isn't toxic to human tissue

GE to Double Spending on `Environmental' Products
``We don't have hobbies inside GE, don't do things for the goodness of doing them,'' Immelt said during a conference call that was broadcast over the Internet. ``Green means green. And we think the breadth of our technology lends itself to this.''

Quick Overview

• Russia has a window of opportunity in the next few months to secure entry to the World Trade Organization, says official.
  
  
• Total air cargo shipments rose 3.1% in March compared with a year earlier, following a 1.3% year-over-year drop in February, the Air Transport Association reported.

• The USDA said that 79% of the corn, 26% of the soybeans, and 39% of the cotton crops were planted. 59% of the U.S. winter wheat crop was rated good to excellent, down from 63% a week ago.
  
  
• The Florida Citrus Processors said that there were 148.2 million gallons of frozen orange juice concentrate in inventory as of April 30th, down 16% YoY.
  

• Manufacturing in the U.K. was down 1.6% in March, weaker than expected.
  
  
• Sales at U.S. wholesalers grew by 0.2% in March, while inventories increased 0.4 percent, the Commerce Department estimated Monday. Year-over-year Sales were up 7.2 percent, while inventories increased 10.8 percent.
  
  
• Increasingly Embattled, DeLay Scales Back Usual Power Plays ….threatening his career and the GOP majority he helped to build and sustain since coming to the House 20 years ago. Everywhere there are signs of a politician in retreat…as businesses fret that DeLay may be radioactive
  

• Eighty-eight members of Congress call on Bush for answers on secret Iraq plan"Unfortunately, the mainstream media in the United States was too busy with wall-to-wall coverage of a "runaway bride" to cover a bombshell report out of the British newspapers," Conyers writes. "The London Times reports that the British government and the United States government had secretly agreed to attack Iraq in 2002, before authorization was sought for such an attack in Congress, and had discussed creating pretextual justifications for doing so."
  
  
• Amid rising gas prices, makers warm to diesel cars Diesels use 20 percent to 40 percent less fuel than comparable gasoline engines. And diesel fuel coming to market starting this year will have lower sulfur content, reducing emissions dramatically.
  
  
• Chile April Trade Surplus Widens on Demand for Copper
  Chile, the world's largest copper producer, said its trade surplus widened more than analysts expected in April after copper prices surged to 16-year highs.
  
  

US tourism ‘losing billions because of image
The US is losing billions of dollars as international tourists are deterred from visiting the US because of a tarnished image overseas and more bureaucratic visa policies, travel industry leaders have warned.

Only in Argentina ? ? ? ? ? Foreign debt museum opens doors
"I liked best the black hole with everything the debt swallowed -- education, families, jobs," said Fabian Jader, 34, an opening night visitor. "I feel anger and pity for the people, but above all helplessness." ...."People know absolutely nothing about how we accumulated all this debt, they only know about the misery they have seen lately," said museum director Simon Pristupin...

Freedom slips another notch

In case you hadn't noticed, the United States is turning into one of those countries where citizens can't turn around without showing their "papers."...In America, having papers has never been especially important. Until now.

US carmakers extend currency campaign
US carmakers are using growing congressional anger over the weak Chinese renminbi to boost pressure on Japan and South Korea to revalue their currencies as well, a move they hope could ease competitive pressures on the beleaguered US industry.

US defence budget will equal ROW combined "within 12 months
Defence expenditure in the US will equal that of the rest of the world combined within 12 months, making it "increasingly pressing" for European contractors to develop a "closer association" with the US, corporate finance group PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) says.
The US defence budget reached US$417.4 billion in 2003 - 46 per cent of the global total.

Quick Overview

• U.S. Nonfarm payroll employment rose a stronger than expected 274,000 in April, and the unemployment rate held at 5.2 percent. Jobs in the previous two months were revised up by a total 93,000. Stock traders seem to interpret much stronger-than-expected Apr. job growth as a sure sign that the Fed will continue raising interest rates.
  
  
• Tokyo's food safety commission said it would recommend the government waive mad cow disease tests for cattle younger than 21 months, a move toward lifting the ban on American beef imports to Japan.
  

• Lobbyist Had Close Contact With Bush Team
  As for the number of Abramoff lobbying team contacts with Bush officials documented in the billing records, Healy said: "We do not know how he defines 'contacts.'"
  

• Study finds decline in global press freedom .. USA is ranked 24th
  
  
• Canada's unemployment rate fell from 6.9% to 6.8% in April, the lowest in over four years.
  
  
• Manufacturing orders in Germany were up 2.2% in March, stronger than expected.
  
  
  
  

Website of the day
Moving through space, an amazing animation.

New Zealand first to levy carbon tax
The tax, planned after New Zealand signed up to the Kyoto protocol, would make polluting energy sources such as coal and oil more expensive than cleaner ones such as hydro, wind and solar..

Hedge funds get Greenspan warning on leverage
"To them, it may all seem OK until someone gets into a car crash," Bianco said, adding that Greenspan's comments in his prepared text closely mirrored what he said less than two months before LTCM collapsed.

85.5 Trillion

Tax Receipts Exceed Treasury Predictions The Treasury Department this week reported there would be a $54 billion swing from projected deficit to surplus in the April-to-June quarter, after an unanticipated gush of tax payments poured into the Treasury before the April 15 deadline.

Truths collide The uncensored Pentagon report at least allows the international public to know that there were no less than 15,527 attacks on the occupation forces from July 2004 to March 2005. In Baghdad alone, from November to March 12, there were 2,404 attacks.

Quick Overview

• Nonfarm business productivity grew at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.6% from January through March, the Labor Department said Thursday. That was up from a 2.1% rate in the preceding three months. The growth of unit labor costs accelerated, climbing to a 2.2% rate that was the largest in six months. In the year through March, those costs were up 2.5% - the highest rate in nearly four years.
  
  
• Standard & Poor's Ratings Services cut its corporate credit ratings to junk status for both General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., a decision that will increase borrowing costs and limit fund-raising options for the nation's two biggest automakers.
  
  
• Chile's economy expanded 5.0 percent in March, the slowest growth since February 2004.

• International trade through the Los Angeles region will grow by more than 14% this year to a record $302.1 billion, according to an economic study released Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
  

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that underground natural gas supplies were up 39 billion cubic feet last week to 1.455 trillion cubic feet. Supplies are now up 20% from a year ago.
  
  
• Compared to one year ago, U.S. 2004-2005 exports for: Corn went from -7% to -6%. Soybeans went from +17% to +18%. Wheat remained at -10%.Cotton remained at -9%.
  

• USDA Secretary said that he wants to see a national animal identification system in place by 2009. The system would track the origin of all cattle, hogs, and chickens in the U.S.
  

• USDA Secretary also announced new rules allowing greater logging and mining in undeveloped areas of the national forest.
  

• An index of U.K. services fell from 57.0 to 56.5 in April, as expected.
  

• The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment rose a larger-than-expected 11,000 last week.
  
  
• Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said on Thursday that deflation continues to plague Japan despite a recovering economy and the government must not relent in its seven-year battle to eradicate it.
  
  
• YoY Brazils April Green Coffee Exports were up 10 percent at 1.71 M Bags.
  

• The DC-96 computer, developed by Orion Multisystems, offers a peak
  computing power of 230 gigaflops and 192 gigabytes of memory for $100,000....

• The tanker market is likely to be the first shipping sector to suffer an oversupply of tonnage, leading to earnings declines for the next three years, Citigroup Smith Barney tanker analyst John Kartsonas has warned.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Is Russia in for an Enron-Style Price Shock?

UES -- which seems to work pretty well as things stand -- is to be broken up into (deep breath here) six national generation companies; 14 territorial generation companies; a state-owned hydro company; a National Grid Company; and local distribution companies. And then the interface between the generation companies and the Grid Company is to be managed by a "transmission system operator," perhaps also an "independent system operator" and a regulator to keep an eye on both.

Quick Overview

• The U.S. DoE said that last weeks crude oil supplies were up 2.6 million barrels to 327.0 million barrels. Unleaded gasoline supplies were up 2.2 million barrels and heating oil supplies were unchanged.

• The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is at 691.2 million barrels, nine million barrels short of the White House's 700 million goal.
  

• The ISM's index of U.S. service sector activity dropped from 63.1 to 61.7 in April - still a sign of growth.
  

• Transport costs between Richards Bay, which has the world's largest coal export terminal, and Rotterdam dropped 7.2 percent last week to $18.62 (R114) a ton.

• The Treasury, faced with large budget deficits, said in a surprise move on Wednesday it is considering regular sales of 30-year bonds, which were suspended in 2001. A decision is expected on August 3rd.
  In Vietnam, the coffee crop is said to be too dry.

• In Brazil, wet weather has delayed the coffee harvest, but it is expected to begin soon.
  

• Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian is offering to more than double his General Motors stake to 8.8 percent in a move that raised investor confidence
  

• The European Central Bank kept its interest rate unchanged at 2.0%, as expected. The rate has not moved for almost two years.
  

• An index of services in the Euro zone slipped from 53.0 to 52.8 in April and retail sales volume in March was up 1.4% from a year ago.
  

• Australia's Reserve Bank kept its official interest rate unchanged at 5.50%
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Quick Overview

Layoff announcements by U.S. companies fell to their lowest level since Nov. 2000, outplacement firm Challenger Grey & Christmas said Tuesday.

Orders placed with factories rose 0.1% in March, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.

The Federal Reserve increased the federal funds rate from 2.75% to 3.00%, as expected.

U.S. durable goods orders were down 2.3% in March, a little better than the 2.8% drop in the advanced report.

Quick Overview

• U.S. construction spending increased by a stronger-than-anticipated 0.5% in March, the Commerce Department said Monday.

• The Institute for Supply Management reported that Factory activity in the United States slowed for the fifth straight month in April, the ISM index fell to 53.3% from 55.2% in March

• Brazils government reported a trade surplus of $3.88 billion in April, up from $1.96 billion in the same month last year. Exports in April reached $9.20 billion while imports totaled $5.33 billion.

• South Korea's trade surplus rose in April compared to the previous month as global demand for locally-made products remained strong despite the won's appreciation against the dollar, the government said Sunday. April's trade surplus came to 1.96 billion US dollars, compared to 1.45 billion dollars in the previous month.
  
  
• OPEC's President said that they have increased production from 27.7 to 29.7 million barrels per day in the last month and a half, the highest daily production in 25 years.

• The USDA said that 52% of the corn crop was planted, up from 30% a week ago, and 8% of the soybeans are planted.

• An index of manufacturing in Australia increased from 52.6 to 52.9 in April, the lowest April reading in three years.
  
  
  
  
  

Quick Overview

• There is fresh speculation that China may use the impending Golden Week holidays in the region to ease the renminbi’s peg against the dollar.
  
  
• The University of Michigan's final consumer sentiment index for April dropped to 87.7, the third straight monthly decline and the lowest level since September 2003

• The National Association of Purchasing Management's index of Chicago business activity dropped from 69.2 to 65.6 in April.

• The Labor Department announced that the employment cost index, moderated in the first quarter to a 0.7% increase, down from a 0.8% gain in the last three months of 2004.

• Consumer prices rose 0.5% in March, the largest increase in 15 years. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, however, the core rate of inflation - measured by the personal consumption expenditure price index - increased 0.3%.

• Personal income rose 0.5% in March, versus the 0.4% economists had predicted. Consumer spending, rose 0.6%, versus 0.5% expected.
  

• Canada's GDP increased 0.3% in February and 3.6% YoY.
  
  
  
  

Quick Overview

• During the first quarter the U.S. economy grew at its slowest pace in two years –renewing fears of stagflation.. The economy expanded at a 3.1 % annual rate as consumers and businesses were pinched by rising energy prices. Economist had expected a growth rate of 3.6%.
  

• The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday reported U.S. March soybean crush totaled 149.7 million bushels, above the average analyst estimate of 148.7 million bushels.

• U.S. March soy oil stocks totaled 1.790 billion pounds, versus analysts
  estimates of 1.779 billion pounds. Soy meal inventories totaled 251,744 tons versus the average analyst estimate of 316,700 short tons.
  
  
• The number of U.S. workers filing for initial unemployment benefits rose by 21,000 in the week ended April 23, reversing three straight weeks of declines, the Labor Department said Thursday
  

• Industrial production in Japan was down 0.3% in March

• The U.S. Department of Energy said that underground supplies of natural gas were up 73 billion cubic feet last week to 1.416 trillion cubic feet. Supplies are up 24% from a year ago.

• The Reserve Bank of India increased its overnight rate from 5.75% to 6.00%, citing rising inflation.

• The World Trade Organization ruled against European sugar subsidies today, saying that the subsidies violate their trade rules. The decision upheld a 2004 ruling that European sugar exporters are getting more in government handouts than allowed.

• The unemployment rate in Germany dropped from 12.5% to 12.0% in April. The number of unemployed fell from 5.18 to 4.97 million.
  
  
  

Quick Overview

• The Commerce Dept. showed a decline in durable goods orders of 2.8% last month - the biggest one-month drop in 2 1/2 years - following a 0.5% gain a month earlier that has been revised to a -0.2%, Excluding transportation, the decline was a less severe 1.0.

• The U.S. DoE said that the U.S. imported 10.9 million barrels of crude oil last week, the third largest amount ever. Crude oil supplies increased 5.5 million barrels to 324.4 million barrels. Unleaded supplies were down 300,000 barrels and heating oil supplies were up 400,000 barrels.

• The USDA report showed that 30% of the U.S. corn crop has been planted, more than was expected.

• Consumer prices in Australia were up 2.4% in the first quarter from a year ago, less of a gain than was expected .

• Overall trucking freight volumes fell 3.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis to 111.6 in March, according to an American Trucking Associations index released Wednesday.

• Asian soybean rust has been found in Georgia, with a positive identification confirmed Wednesday.
  
  
  

Greenspan and Snow are missing good bets

Since only about a quarter of a point separates the yield on the ten-year Treasury from that of the old 30-year bond (now 26 years), it makes sense for the government to issue longer-maturity bonds in order to lengthen the maturity of its debt, as should be the case when debt is growing faster than the economy.
Right now, the Treasury is like the homeowner who takes out an adjustable rate loan at a time when interest rates are rising. It's saving money now -- but it will pay the piper later.

Quick Overview

April consumer confidence was in line with economists' forecasts of 98.0, falling to a reading of 97.7. This is the third consecutive decline and is raising concerns about a potential economic slowdown.

New home sales for March surged 12.2% to a new record of 1.43 mln (consensus 1.19 mln)... reflect ongoing economic strength.

The U.S. Census Bureau is expected to report on Thursday
the U.S. March soybean crush at 148.7 million bushels. If it
does, that would rank as the second highest crush ever for March.


The Renewable Fuels Association said that the U.S. produced 245,000 barrels of ethanol per day in February, a new record high.

China's Ministry of Agriculture said that China will produce 10.0 million tons of sugar in 2004-2005, down slightly from the previous year and less than Chinas consumption.

Six economic institutes in Germany reduced their estimate of 2005 GDP growth for Germany from 1.5% to 0.7%.

The unemployment rate in Japan improved from 4.7% to 4.5% in March.
Japanese Household spending was down 1.1% for the month, and YoY consumer prices were down 0.2% in March.

French President Chirac asks for measures to control the flood of Chinese textile exports to the EU.

RATES for very large crude carriers have peaked and are unlikely to match the euphoric highs seen last year, says Helmut Sohmen, owner of World-Wide Shipping.

CHINA has announced further container terminal expansion by giving the go-ahead for a 2.5m teu facility at Shenzhen, the world’s fourth largest box port city.


If you’re worried about the recent European Union ban on imports of grain from the US you can now breathe a sigh of relief. Tests of Syngenta animal feed and grains imported into the European Union have shown the products to be free of a genetically modified (GMO) strain of maize blocked by the EU, the company said on Tuesday.
U.S. exporters send 3.5 million tonnes of corn gluten feed to Europe each year, a trade worth some 350 million euros ($449 million).

In a dramatic turn of events, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has joined debt campaigners across the globe by stating clearly that it is in fact possible to sell its vast undervalued (and idle) gold reserves to finance further debt relief for some of the world's poorest countries.
The viability of this proposal, after years of opposition, has been formally recognised by the staff of the IMF in a new paper. The IMF paper, prepared by the Fund's Department of Finance at the request of the major creditor nations last year, was discussed by the IMF Board on 30 April.

UN Nominee Bolton to Undergo Anger Management Therapy With Jack Nicholson
However, the Committee specified that the nominee must first undergo thirty days of "anger management therapy" to help him deal with his feelings.

Quick Overview

Sales of existing homes and condominiums rose by 1 percent in March to the third-highest sales pace on record while the nationwide median price jumped by the largest amount in more than 14 years, a real estate trade group reported Monday.

The average retail price of regular gasoline fell 4.46 cents between April 8 and Friday to $2.24 a gallon, according to the latest Lundberg Survey of filling stations nationwide.

The USDA said that 68% of the winter wheat crop was rated good to excellent, down 1 point from the previous week.

The USDA said that 30% of the corn crop has been planted.

Brazil said that their upcoming coffee crop will total 32.5 million bags, up slightly from the previous estimate.

An index of business confidence in Germany dropped from 94.0 to 93.3 in April, the lowest reading in over a year.

U.S. Prison Population, World's Highest, Up Again
The United States has incarcerated 726 people per 100,000 of its population, seven to 10 times as many as most other democracies. The rate for England is 142 per 100,000, for France 91 and for Japan 58.

It costs around $22,000 to lock up one person for a year. The United States spends about $57 billion annually on its prison and jail system.

Website of the day: The House that Jack Built


A plane trip to London and Scotland in 2000 by beleaguered House Majority Leader Tom Delay was charged to a credit card issued to a Washington lobbyist who is the subject of a federal probe, the Washington Post reported on Sunday.

Quick Overview

Canada's annual inflation rate in March met market expectations, rising to 2.3 percent from 2.1 percent in February, reinforcing beliefs that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates in the second half of 2005.

Brazil's coffee crop will total 32.46 million 60-kilogram bags in 2005-06 (July-June), according to the latest estimate released by the National Commodities Supply Corp, on Friday. This compares to 38.7 million bags last year.

The USDA said that there were 10.87 million head of cattle on feed, up 1% from a year ago, but less than expected. March placements were down 2.8% and marketing’s were roughly the same as a year ago.

The USDA said that there were 81.3 million pounds of frozen bellies in storage, up 62% from a year ago.

The USDA said Frozen pork totaled 543.4 million pounds, up 21% from a year ago.

ED&F Man said that they still expect world demand for sugar to exceed production in the upcoming year.

The USDA said that there were 1.58 billion pounds of frozen orange juice concentrate in storage on March 31st, down 12% from a year ago.

An index of services in Japan contracted 1% in February after posting a big 2.4% gain in January.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi apologized to China for Japan's wartime atrocities and expressed an interest in improving ties between the two countries.

GDP in the U.K. was up 0 .6% in the first quarter and up 2.8 YoY.

During week of April 16th Tonnage Volume for US railroads reached 33.3 billion ton-miles, up 4.7 percent from the same week in 2004.


Less than two hours before the close, The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. had warned China that North Korea could be preparing a nuclear-weapons test.

Earnings for Suezmax tankers in November reached a record of more than US$150,000 a day as global oil consumption grew faster than ship supply.

Quick Overview

The number of U.S. workers filing for initial unemployment benefits fell 36,000 in the week ended April 16, the third consecutive reported decline, the Labor Department said Thursday

Manufacturing in the Philadelphia area rose to 25.3, a Federal Reserve report said Thursday. Orders and shipments also accelerated.

The Bank of Japan said on Thursday the economies of most of Japan's regions are in a mild recovery trend.

The Conference Board reported Thursday that its Composite Index of Leading Economic Indicators fell 0.4 percent last month to 115.1. The decline was slightly larger than that expected.

Retail sales in the U.K. were down 0.1% in March, weaker than expected.

China's president on Thursday urged Asian and African leaders to pursue free trade agreements and open their markets to each other to overcome economic woes plaguing countries on the two continents.

China imported 2.7 million barrels of oil per day in March, up 23% from a year ago

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan warned on Thursday that unless lawmakers come to grips with spiraling U.S. deficits, the economy was at risk of stagnation "or worse."

Retail sales in Canada were up 1.7% in February to C$30.4 billion.

The U.S. Department of Energy said that underground natural gas supplies were up 50 billion cubic feet to 1.343 trillion cubic feet. YoY supplies are up 25%.

Quick Overview

The U.S. Consumer Price Index was up 0.6 percent last month - stronger than expected as the costs of energy clothing and airline fares all rose.

China's economy expanded 9.5 percent, faster than expected, putting fresh pressure on Beijing to rein in growth.

Argentina's economy grew a faster than expected 8.6 percent rate in February.

India's weather office on Wednesday forecast normal monsoon rains this year.

Among leading world economies, the U.S. ranks only 11th in Internet users connecting at high-speed. Compared to South Korea, Japan, even Canada, the U.S. is falling behind.

The Department of Energy said in its weekly petroleum supply report that the U.S. supply of crude oil fell last week by 1.8 million barrels to 318.9 million barrels, or 8 percent above year ago levels. Gasoline inventories declined by 1.5 million barrels to 211.6 million barrels, or 5 percent above year ago levels.
The supply of distillate fuel, which includes diesel, was flat at 104 million barrels, or roughly 1 percent above year ago levels, the agency said. Heating oil supplies were up 1.4 million barrels Gasoline demand has averaged more than 9 million barrels a day over the past four weeks, roughly 1.2 percent above year ago levels.

The Federal Reserve's Beige book said that "all twelve Federal Reserve Districts indicate that business activity continued to expand from late February through early April." The districts of Kansas City and San Francisco reported the most positive growth while "some deterioration" in retail activity was reported in Cleveland's district.

Quick Overview

The Labor Department said Tuesday its producer price index rose 0.7% in March, and prices excluding food and energy rose just 0.1%.

Housing starts fell 17.6% in March, the biggest drop in 14 years, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. YoY housing starts are up 5.5%.

The average national price of retail diesel fuel dropped 5.7 cents to $2.259 a gallon, the Department of Energy said Monday. Gasoline prices also tumbled from four weeks of records, dropping 4.3 cents to $2.237 a gallon, DOE said. Today however June unleaded gasoline was up 7.07 cents to $1.5807 with reports of refinery problems in Texas, Louisiana, and Kansas.

Chinese soybean futures settled higher on forecasts for smaller soy acreage in that country's largest soy-producing province, Soybean acreage in China's Heilongjiang province was expected to drop 3.1% this year, according to a local media report Monday.

General Motors reported a first quarter loss of $1.1 billion, the worst performance in 13 years and down from its $1.2 billion profit a year ago.

YoY Consumer prices in the U.K. were up 1.9%, the highest in almost seven years.

Canada's wholesale sales were up 1.1% in February and the composite index of leading indicators was up 0.2% in March

Unbelievable Sloppiness
The action is the only possible way of dealing with an unbelievable sloppiness -- the mixing of different genetically modified corn families. The so-called Bt10 corn from the US, with its resistance against the antibiotic Ampicillin is neither permitted in the US nor in Europe. The EU has not banned all US corn imports. It is merely demanding proof that the imported corn products do not include any Bt10.

Quick Overview

OPEC's President said that they will increase production by 500,000 barrels per day, starting on May 1st.

June gold was helped by comments from U.S. Treasury Secretary Snow saying he does not favor the IMF plan of selling gold to provide debt relief to less developed countries.

New vehicle sales in Canada jumped up 12.8% in February to 142,658 vehicles.

Germany's central bank said that the economy grew 0.2% in the first quarter of 2005.

The Nikkei 225 fell over 3% to 10,938, the lowest close in four months, hurt by a slowing U.S. economy and dispute with China.

No windfall for Midwest's corn-based fuel
These days, however, ethanol-makers are getting creamed. Even as oil prices hover around $50 a barrel, ethanol has plunged by at least one-fourth since January. For the first time in memory, a gallon of ethanol at wholesale is going for a dollar less than a gallon of gas at the pump.

Honda Motor Co. expects to set an export record this year in the soybeans it returns to Japan in containers that arrived in the U.S. filled with spare parts.

In the shadow of its Marysville auto plant, the company processes 550 bushels of soybeans each hour that end up as tofu and soy sauce. The automaker expects to sell a record 1 million bushels this year and is hunting new markets in Australia. The company says potential customers in Europe and Thailand have expressed interest.

Honda began shipping soybeans in 1986

"as a way to reuse cargo containers that were returning to Japan empty".

The crop was plentiful in Ohio, there was a market for them in Japan, and the shipments were a way for the automaker to invest in a state it has operated in since 1983.

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The New York Federal Reserve's Empire Manufacturing index fell from 20.18 to 3.12 in April, the lowest in two years.

The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index fell to 88.7 in mid-April from 92.6 in March.

U.S. industrial production was up 0.3% in March.

Europe's cocoa bean grind totaled 282,682 tons in the first quarter of 2005, up 0.8% from a year ago. In the U.S. the cocoa grind totaled 101,913 tons, down 0.7% from a year ago.

The Green Coffee Association said that U.S. coffee stocks increased over 305,000 bags in March to end the month at 5.696 million bags, more than expected.

Canada's manufacturing shipments were down 0.5% in February.


San Diego America’s finest city.
Here's how abusive it is: some city officials are getting lump sums under this program of more than $1 million, in addition to $150,000 or more annual retirement benefits. The city spends $16 million a year just paying interest on the $200 million now deposited in this program. But the city spends a mere $800,000 a year repairing potholes.....But the weather is nice!

Scientists say evidence mounting that chemical in plastic is dangerous In the new report, to be published online tomorrow in Environmental Health Perspectives, scientists Frederick vom Saal and Claude Hughes say that, as of December, 115 studies have been published examining low doses of the chemical, and 94 found harmful effects.



US calls for immediate flexibility on renminbi
The US administration is calling for China to move immediately to introduce a flexible currency, a marked shift in tactics after several years of patient diplomacy aimed at nudging China towards allowing the renminbi to float.

The worlds biggest debtor nation telling another nation how to run THEIR economy.

Illegal GM maize fear sparks EU ban on US animal feeds
But Christoph Then, a Greenpeace genetic engineering expert, said lax controls in the US and elsewhere meant that Europe remained exposed to high-risk imports of illegal GMOs in wheat, rice, soya beans and rape seed as well as maize. The US condemned the ban, insisting there were no hazards to health, safety or the environment from Bt10.

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The number of U.S. workers filing for initial unemployment benefits fell by 10,000 in the week ended April 9, the Labor Department said Thursday.

Business inventories rose 0.5% in February, the Commerce Department reported Thursday

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that old-crop soybean export sales last week hit a marketing-year low of 128,800 metric tons with China absent from the list of buyers. New-crop sales were 143,600 tons, total soybean sales came to 272,400 tons, which was under pre-report estimates ranging from 350,000 to 550,000 tons.

Informa Economics, a private analytical firm, is said to estimate U.S. cornproduction at 10.721 billion bushels. This compares to USDA's April production
estimate of 11.807 billion.
Export sales from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for corn were 915,600
metric tons for 2004-05. This is above trade estimates of 650,000 to 850,000
metric tons.


Wheat Export sales for the week ended April 7 were a net 389,400 metric tons for the 2004-05 crop year, while 29,000 tons of 2005-06 wheat were sold, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Thursday.
The sales generally met pre-report trade expectations for around
300,000-500,000 tons of export sales.

The U.S. Department of Energy said that underground natural gas supplies were up 44 billion cubic feet last week to 1.293 trillion cubic feet. YoY supplies up 23%.

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Crude oil prices continued to fall Wednesday, dropping below $51 a barrel following a Department of Energy report showing strong inventories for both oil and gasoline.
The DOE said that:
Crude oil supplies increased 3.6 million barrels last week to 320.7 million barrels. Unleaded supplies improved by 800,000 barrels, and heating oil supplies were up 600,000 barrels. The Strategic Petroleum Reserves are now at 688.8 million barrels, close to the 700 million barrel target.


March retail sales rose 0.3%, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday, less than forecasters had predicted.


U.S. economic growth will average 3.6% this year, the fastest among the world's leading industrialized nations, according to a new International Monetary Fund report.
The IMF said that they expect real economic growth in 2005 and 2006 for:
The United States to be 3.6% for both years.
Canada to be 2.8% and 3.0%.
The United Kingdom to be 2.6% for both years.
The Euro area to be 1.6% and 2.3%.
Japan to be .8% and 1.9%.


The U.K.'s unemployment rate for the three months to February was 4.8%, up .1 from the previous three months.


The Japanese government said that their economy is improving at a restrained pace. YoY Producer prices were up 1.4% in March.


Overall trucking freight volumes fell 2.4% on a seasonally adjusted basis to 115.5 in February, according to an updated American Trucking Associations index released Tuesday.

Pandemic-causing 'Asian flu' accidentally releasedThe flu testing kits were sent to some 3700 labs between October 2004 and February 2005 by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), a professional body which helps pathology laboratories improve their accuracy, by sending them unidentified samples of various germs to identify.
The CAP kits - prepared by private contractor Meridian Bioscience in Cincinnati, US -were to contain a particular strain of influenza A - the viral family that causes most flu worldwide. But instead of choosing a strain from the hundreds of recently circulating influenza A viruses, the firm chose the 1957 pandemic strain.

We’ve spent $40 billion on "Homeland Security" in 2004 and will spend some $50 billion in 2005, and now we have a lab mailing out a deadly flu virus to thousands of unsuspecting labs - it boggles the mind.
Meridian Bioscience Backs 2005 Outlook

"While a few H2N2 laboratory acquired infections have been documented in the past, the likelihood of laboratory-acquired influenza infection is considered low when proper biosafety precautions are followed," Meridian said in a statement. "The risk for the general population is also considered low." The WHO also has said the risk of an outbreak is slight.



Ex-AIG Chief Gave Wife $2B in Shares
Greenberg resigned as president and CEO of the New York-based insurer on March 14, three days after he had transferred 41.4 million shares — worth $2.2 billion at Tuesday's closing share price of $53.20 — to his wife, Corinne P. Greenberg.

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Stock-index futures staged a bullish reversal Tuesday, thanks to tamer-than-expected minutes from the Federal Reserve's last policymaking session.

Gold output falls to 73-year low www.Iafrica.com reported today that South Africa's 2004 gold production was the lowest since 1931.


The International Energy Agency reduced its estimate of 2005 world oil demand by 50,000 barrels to 84.3 million barrels per day.


AgRural said it forecasts the Brazilian soybean crop at 51.3 million
metric tons, down from its previous estimate of 52.3 million tons, due to
excessive rain in the main soybean-producing state of Mato Grosso. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture has the crop currently figured at 54 million tons.

The U.S. trade deficit grew more than expected in February to a record $61.0 billion, as the U.S. economy sucked in record imports and exports remained high but showed little new growth, the government said on Tuesday. The trade deficit with China actually narrowed in February to $13.9 billion from $15.3 billion in January.

Canada's exports increased 1.4% in February to C$36.5 billion while imports were down .2% to C$31.7 billion. The result was a trade surplus of C$4.8 billion.

According to International Monetary Fund the world economy will expand 4.3 percent this year as stronger-than-expected growth in the United States, China and elsewhere balances weakness in Europe and Japan.

USDA Secretary Johanns said that he wants the beef trade with Japan to resume by July. That’s nice, but what does Japan think?


Thirty-three U.S. governors are seeking to expand federal mandates for the use of ethanol as a fuel additive, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Chinese officials are visiting Brazil this week in search of knowledge on how to introduce ethanol as an additive into gasoline fuel.


Retail sales in the U.K. were up 1.8% YoY .

The United States should deploy widespread wired and wireless
gigabit networks as a national priority, according to a white paper
from the IEEE-USA
Committee on Communications and Information
Policy (CCIP). "Providing Ubiquitous Gigabit Networks in the United
States," issued 14 March, says that our nation must act promptly to
ensure that a new...


Hang in there! Time may indeed be on your side. If you can just last another quarter century. By then, people will start lives that could last 1,000 years or more..


The USDA attaché increased the estimate of China's sugar imports from 1.2 million to 1.4 million metric tons. The estimate of sugarcane and beet acreage in China was increased by 6% for the upcoming year.


For 16 years, the FDA resisted pressure to approve aspartame due to safety studies linking the artificial sweetener to numerous adverse reactions, including the development of brain tumors in animal studies. In 1977, FDA investigator Jerome Bressler released a report describing how, in clinical studies submitted to the FDA, Searle removed aspartame-induced brain tumors that developed in lab rats and placed them back into the study. If the rats died, Bressler reported, Searle would resurrect them on paper.

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The average retail price of regular gasoline rose 19 cents in the past three weeks to a record $2.29 a gallon as of April 8, according to the latest Lundberg Survey of filling stations nationwide.

The CEO of AngloGold is predicting a range of $400 to $500 per ounce for gold in the "foreseeable future."

OPEC's President said that they will soon increase oil production by 500,000 barrels per day to prepare for increased world demand in the third quarter.

China's trade surplus rose to $5.73 billion in March up from $4.6 billion in February. YoY exports rose 32.8 percent in March , while imports grew 18.6 percent.

U.S. slips lower in coding contest A number of developments in recent years suggest the world's tech leadership could shift from Silicon Valley and other U.S. locales to Asian nations such as China, Korea and India.

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We're back in operation!!


China should allow the free market to set the value of its yuan currency, and end its peg to the dollar, Treasury Secretary John Snow said during a congressional hearing Thursday. Beijing responded that US pressure on it to revalue the yuan and curb a surge of textile exports was unfair and that the United States should solve its own problems.

U.S. consumer credit rose 3.1%, or $5.5 billion in February, the Federal Reserve reported Thursday. The increase in consumer credit in January, meanwhile, was revised up slightly to $11.7 billion, the Fed said. Credit card debt increased 6.1% in February, while nonrevolving credit, such as auto loans, increased 1.3%. The data do not include home mortgages.

The Bank of England kept interest rates at 4.75 percent for the eighth month running.

Shipping industry faces shortages.
The problem now is that ship-owners will have to wait until 2008 to get any delivered with the South Korean shipyards already full with orders,"