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February represented the eighth straight month of losses in the Commodities space, however the pace of decline seems to have slowed dramatically. Coupled with potential unexpected inflation, some predict commodities could be poised for a turnaround.

Severely weakened by the economic crisis, Russia's top metals producers are embracing a proposal to merge into one massive company. The merger, which is subject to state approval, would make the industry less vulnerable to the rapid shifts in demand that characterize economic downturn. But while the metals giants agree on the basic plan, they differ about how much government support is needed.

The 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) pumped an average 30.74 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil in December, according to a Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials just released. This is a decline of 640,000 b/d from the November level of 31.38 million b/d. The total includes Indonesia, which left the oil producer group at the end of the year.

2008 was a historic year for the Oil & Gas industry as oil prices hit a record high of close to US$150/barrel and fell steeply to below US$50/barrel in a matter of 3 months.

According to Fitch Ratings' 2009 global steel outlook report, Fitch expects the current sharp contraction in steel demand to continue to weigh on steel production and pricing through the first half of 2009. While in the short-term the steel market will be in a downturn, the Ratings Outlooks on the vast majority of Fitch Ratings' steel coverage are Stable.

Gold jewelry is one of the top three most popular items for women's discretionary spending in the U.S. according to World Gold Council's (WGC) 2008 survey, What Women Want: Global Discretionary Spending Report, conducted by independent research firm, GfK, among 1,068 American women aged 16 to 65.

The Abraham Energy Report issued a special analysis to subscribers of OPEC's decision Wednesday to cut production by 4.2 million barrels per day.

The strong upturn in steel demand which began in 2002 has come to an abrupt halt. Growth in demand for steel began to weaken appreciably in August 2008, in response to slowdowns in construction activity in developed economies and China’s moderating economic expansion. Since then, the extraordinary set of events surrounding the financial sector and the sharp deterioration in business prospects for steel-consuming industries have led to depressed steel demand conditions in all major markets.

Himfr.com, one of China's leading B2B search platforms with more than 30 B2B industry websites to its name, believes that steel prices have reached the bottom.

The 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) pumped an average 31.38 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude oil in November, according to a Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials just released. This is a decline of 880,000 from the October level of 32.26 million b/d.