“It is time to pay tribute to this strange little grass that has done so much for the human race. Strange is the word, for wheat is a genetic monster.” A typical…
Category: Commodities
A Giant-Sized History of Soybeans
I write daily about the economics surrounding soybeans and other grains commodities, but I can honestly say I know very little about the HISTORY of soybeans. When were soybeans first cultivated? And…
65 Things You Might Not Know About Steel
While many of us associate the introduction of steel into economics with the start of the First Industrial Revolution, steel has actually been around for a VERY long time. Steel has always…
The Big List Of Things You Might Not Know About Platinum
Platinum has a wide range of uses, including jewelry, catalytic converters, electrical contacts, pacemakers, drugs and magnets. But how much do you really know about this “noble metal?” Get ready for some…
58 Things You Might Not Know About Silver
It’s too bad silver has been labeled “Poor Man’s Gold,” because it’s far more useful than gold. Not only is silver a precious metal and recognized form of currency, but it’s also…
The Big List of Things You Might Not Know About Copper
Think solar energy and electric cars are the future? Or maybe not? Maybe coal, oil, and traditional infrastructure are the future and the renewable energy push is just hype? Either way… We’re…
41 Things You Might Not Know About Uranium & Nuclear Energy
Uranium has been in a five-year long price slump with several factors having impacted the decline: The 2011 Fukushima disaster forced Japan to idle its reactors. According to the Nuclear Energy Institute,…
20 Things You Might Not Know About Iron
For all time Iron has been an essential element of life without which we would, literally, not be alive. Beyond biological needs, though, Iron has played a massive role in human history…
Disruption: A Case For Investing In Cannabis
With global legalization of cannabis on the horizon, what can we expect from cannabis and it’s cousin, hemp? Are there enough industrial uses to make a case for investing in cannabis? Where…
Coal – Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS)
What is Carbon Capture and Sequestration? How does it work? How well does it work? What are the advantages? What are the challenges? The clean coal technology field is moving in the…