So far in 2009, the agriculture markets haven't witnessed the same sharp rebound as other commodities have; in fact, compared to oil or copper, humble ags seem downright sensible. And there's still plenty of room for upside, says Shonda Warner, founder of Chess Capital Partners—that is, if Mother Nature plays along.

Ms. Warner is the founder of Chess Ag Full Harvest Partners, an investment firm that focuses on purchasing undervalued farmland in the U.S. With over 20 years' experience in hedge fund environments, she has worked as co-managing director of U.K. based fund-of-funds Montier Partners and as an executive director for Bear Stearns and Goldman Sachs.

Is oil entering a bubble? That was the question on everyone's mind at last week's "Inside Commodities" conference, where keynote speaker Nouriel Roubini argued in his speech that oil prices had risen too far, too fast, too soon.

But oil can still go much higher, says Stephen Schork, editor of The Schork Report, a daily briefing on the energy markets. With over 17 years' experience in commodities trading and risk systems modeling, Mr. Schork is a highly respected voice in the energy markets, and has offered his expert opinion to CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and dozens of other media outlets.

At last week's "Inside Commodities" conference, the conversation returned again and again to one dominant theme: inflation vs. deflation. Some, like Nouriel Roubini, predicted the U.S. is set for a deflationary crash. But other speakers forecasted runaway inflation—including Peter Schiff, president of Euro Pacific Capital.

Author of 2007's "Crash Proof: How to Profit from the Coming Economic Collapse," Peter Schiff is an investment adviser, blogger and frequent commentator for dozens of financial print and television media outlets. Mr. Schiff served as an economic adviser to Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) during his 2008 presidential campaign, and he is currently running for U.S. Senate, opposite incumbent Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT).

By Brad Zigler

The U.S. Energy Department usually releases its weekly petroleum inventory report on Wednesday, but since it's Veterans Day, we won't see those numbers ‘til tomorrow.

By Brad Zigler

Yesterday's Desktop column ("Investors Thinking: Time To Hedge Gold Stocks?") recapped a strategy for hedging gold mining stocks originally presented in "More On Hedging Gold Stocks."

By Brad Zigler

As a kid, it was hard to imagine having too much of a good thing. How, I wondered, could more candy be bad? (Many thanks to the family dentists that subsequently saved my choppers from rot.)

By Brad Zigler

You'd think last month's earnings releases would have given a boost to gold stocks, since four of the five components of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (GDM) reporting posted positive results. Yet, going into the last week of October, miners' stock prices slumped, only to emerge at the end even lower.

From crude to copper, from gold to silver, most commodities have been on a tear lately—but is the rise too much, too fast?

So says Dr. Nouriel Roubini, professor of economics at New York University's Stern School of Business and chairman of the RGE Monitor. Best known for his accurate predictions of the current financial crisis back in 2005, Dr. Roubini now argues that the world has set itself up for another bubble in risky assets, like commodities - and when the bubble pops, it won't be pretty.

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.2%

Further signs of a turnaround in the U.S. economy followed on the heels of last week's improvement in third-quarter gross domestic product. The closely followed Institute for Supply Management's Purchasing Managers Index jumped more than 3 percentage points in October, indicating a continuing rebound in the U.S. manufacturing sector. Additional ISM data showed the overall domestic economy grew for the sixth consecutive month in October.

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.0%

Crude oil futures climbed further in overnight trading after rising nearly 2 percent in the Tuesday NYMEX floor session. Buoyed by outside influences, oil prices were also driven by the release of bullish industry data.

By Julian Murdoch

President Obama made the overhaul of the nation's electrical infrastructure a vocal part of his 2008 campaign. In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow just days before the election, he outlined his promise of involvement:

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 3.9%

"The pot calling the kettle black." It's a timeworn rejoinder to another's accusation, and an expression I think of whenever my research leads me to The Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA). The committee—an organization with the self-avowed purpose to "advocate and undertake litigation against illegal collusion to control the price and supply of gold"—once lambasted me for my lack of intellectual curiosity.

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 3.8%

For most of this year, money managers have been middling buyers of crude oil futures. Overall, the disposition of the funds toward petroleum has been—how shall I put it?—cautiously bullish.

Recently, gold appears to have entered The Mother of All Bull Markets. Even though gold has backed off of its $1,072/oz record from two weeks ago, as of Thursday's close, the market was still up 18 percent for the year and climbing. Interest in the yellow metal—from both individual and institutional investors—has never been higher.

But don't be fooled, says Jon Nadler, metals market analyst and PR head for Kitco Metals, Inc. The precious metals expert says the current bull market in gold is all an illusion—one that the fundamentals can't support for long.

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.2%

This week, gold and oil cycled lower. Gold essentially ran out of buyers, while the oil market is still working off overhanging supply. These developments, among other factors, backed off inflationary pressures.

By Julian Murdoch

For most commodities, you can look at the underlying forces driving supply and demand and understand what will move the market. Except, it seems lately, for oil. Prices have risen so far, so fast from their mid-February lows that some investors have started to wonder: Is the price of crude decoupling from supply and demand?

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.3%

When was the last time you caught sight of an item displayed in a retail store or a catalog and thought: "Gee, I'd buy that if it ever went on sale"?

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.4%

One could say that oil traders rode a roller coaster this week as the market geared up for the latest government oil inventory report. December NYMEX crude climbed 87 cents to $79.55 a barrel in Tuesday trading after settling down $1.82 at $78.68 on Monday. Prices then sagged below $79 in the overnight market ahead of Wednesday's opening bell and the release of the U.S. Energy Department's weekly fuels tally.

By Julian Murdoch

Whether you're a gold bug or a silver buff, you've been a happy camper so far in 2009. As of Friday's close, gold was at $1,056.40, up 20 percent year-to-date. Silver has done even better; it was up 56 percent to settle at $17.723.

By Brad Zigler

Real-time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 4.5%

A certain number of market observers have long believed that the gold futures market has been manipulated downward by a cabal of U.S. banks. Their contentions have been based upon data published by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showing a small number of domestic financial institutions holding lopsided short exposure. This has been taken as prima facie evidence of the banks' attempt to cap the metal's price.