Globel E

Six South America Profit Plays

Any thoughts on GFA ?

Agrochemical Sector a Bright Spot in Slowing Global Economy

Ah so--- nicely stated - timely, short, and accurate. Unfortunately, that S&P is the same S&P that is being exposed (on-going Congressional hearings) as about as trustworthy as the average snake.

Like many others, I had taken some comfort in such facts as this article offers UNTIL it became clear that this is what S&P suggests. Now, it must be suspect. Were they, politely and quietly, to go out of business, that might improve the capacity of anyone interested in the market to trust the wisdom of "experts". If anyone can take comfort in the opinion of an old, retired, (state university, ag. school) professor. this article offers very reasonable bases for long term, legitimate, strength in fertilizer stocks. In cost/benefit terms adding fertilizer adds considerable relative value. The demand increase resulting from inevitable population growth and from the newly acquired taste for, especially, animal proteins, guarantees increased use of N, P and K fertilizers.

In addition potash-related stocks (think - guano) gain strength from the difficulty of developing new commercial sources and nitrogen-related stocks gain from the absolute requirement for high nitrogen Inputs (think - amino acids all include N) in any food chain leading to animal protein.

Thanks to the contributor, we could all use some positive information today!

An End to Efficient Market Theory

Last evening (Sep.18) ABC's Nightline played some moderately long newsclips of McCain (ALL DATED within 2008) clearly declaring that less interference, and less regulation were what he would impose on the financial markets if he were president. That's not a clip out of context folks. Not a manipulated bit of imagery from some clever software. Surely he voted against his party on 5-10% of the time, but NOT ON FINANCIAL MATTERS. Then again, he was not in charge anyway!

It sounds as if several contributors are, today, trying to blame Obama for ?? something ?? involved in the histrionics we are all watching at the moment. Pay attention, he, also, was not in charge???

Could we try realism? This is supposed to be communications between and among rational folks who are trying to understand the bases for a most undesirable situation.

Underdog Smallcaps: Potential Short Squeezes

Is it correct that
1) short selling is legal,
2) naked short selling is not,
3) the damage is best done by massive naked short selling,
4) the SEC put out some temporary rules last month to protect vulnerable financials from "excessive naked short selling damage"
5) those temporary rules only protected a relatively small group of companies
6) those temporary rules ended about a week ago
7) they are now planning new rules to control short selling after the miseries of Monday, 9/15
----------------------...
8) the new rules will be a new way to enforce the laws that have existed all through this insanity?

Please which piece am I missing? Why is it not possible to enforce existing laws against a practice, but it is possible to enforce temporary "rules" against that same ILLEGAL practice?

While the Solar Sector Bottoms in the Near Term, LDK Solar Stands Out

The McCain/Palin perspective on science is unnerving. Palin has stated that global warming is not related to human activity and the general acceptance of creationism indicates a rejection of the advances in understanding of plate techtonics/continental drift that has allowed geologists to determine the limits of vast, "unknown" oil reserves. Solar would not be favored by these folks.

Canadian Oil Sands: Gates and Buffett Visit

Hey! What are all you "environmentally aware" folks doing here (esp. S.W.)? Permit me to add another piece or two. Like it, or not, we will continue to use fossil fuels for some time (God help us if the associated warming stops the Gulf Stream/Artic currents interactions). Any source that moves us from accommodating the ugly habits of several oil rich regimes is preferable. Anyone old enough to remember South Africa's bad habits?

Work on perspective - if the entire global system is taken into account, making a mess of a piece of n. Canada pales compared to scrambling the atmosphere/ocean circulation patterns. That would eliminate anything resembling a natural system in all of Canada. Of course, there would be lots of additional water available.

Alternatives to fossil fuels are inevitable, sooner or later we will run out. Sooner seems preferable. If there is a profit, then maybe someone will work on the problem for a profit. T.B. Pickens probably has a few motives that involve increasing his billions. (Maybe not, at his age he may be looking forward.) Who cares! He and A.Gore probably have different motives for their efforts re energy. Again, who cares. I hope both gain riches, or power, proportional to their success in triggering development of alternative energy sources.

I just met my grand kids. They're cute. Maybe we could avoid extinction so they can be around for a while.

BTW-mkreisel, I sincerely hope you are wrong.

In Support of Potash Corp.'s Projected 2008 Gross Margin Increase

Info. for WACG - While there is a great deal of nitrogen in the air, it is definitely not available for agricultural needs. Only a few (very common) living critters can take it from the air and move it into the biological realm.

We human-types can produce nitrogen-based fertilizer in a factory - via the Habor Process. It does the job for us. Trouble is, it demands an exceptional input of energy. Any energy source would do (even wind-produced energy!) At the moment nat. gas seems the most realistic source.

The moment you start looking below the surface of some problem - everything is related to every thing. It's amazing. Next tricks will be to keep all that added N,P,K from associating with all that added water (irrigation) and messing up the soil (saltation) and providing less, instead of more, food for our increasing population.

Mechel: Waiting Til the Smoke Clears

According to the news services Putin's complaint related to the practice of charging international buyers something like half the prices charged to their domestic market.

That does not make him sound like a threat to anyone.

Yara International: More Than Just Fertilizer

I appreciate the market perspective. Allow me to return the favor by adding some academic info. At the moment, probably for some time to come, rice is a stressed staple foodstuff. The image of a rice paddy, flooded with stagnant water (which encourages heavy blue-green algal (nitrogen-fixing) blooms is reasonable, BUT-modern seed developments have provided a dry field form of rice (better for instance for U.S. growers). No blue-green blooms means much less free nitrogen. Thus, nitrogen is a hyper important additive. Yara is a truly major world-wide producer of nitrogen fertilizer (ureas,etc.). I has grown steadily for some time, but does not seem to be a target of U.S. stock pickers. I have read (not verified) that Yara has made a recent deal with Gazprom for energy supplies. Since the Habor process (makes biologically available nitrogen from the free, but, inaccessible N in our air), has exceptionally high energy requirements. Yariy will be a desirable stock for some time to come.