Even if you don’t think you do, you already know plenty about commodities. Want us to prove it? No problem.

Editor’s Note: This is an extended version of the story that original ran in the June 2008 issue of Scientific American.

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* Pork belly and hog prices continue to fall (Javier Blas, The Financial Times)

plunged further on Tuesday as traders anticipated lower demand for pork after the outbreak of swine flu .

* Market Insider: Marketing Made Simple (Brian Hoops, Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan)

Its not too late to formulate a marketing plan for this years growing season. Before I became a market advisor, I was a vice president of an Iowa bank. During that time, I worked with many borrowers on marketing and formulated a very simple, but effective marketing plan for livestock and grain producers. I want to share this marketing plan with you.

* Is Economic Outlook Growing Brighter? Maybe Not (Econ Watch, CBS News)

Some beams of sunlight have begun to peek through the economic storm clouds, raising the possibility that the Great Recession that started in late 2007 may be nearing an end. Or is that a hailstorm on the horizon?

* Anadarko reports $338 million 1Q loss (John Porretto, Kansas City Star)

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. said Wednesday it lost $338 million in the first quarter because of tumbling energy prices, but the results still beat Wall Street expectations.Anadarko, one of the nation’s largest independent exploration and production companies, said its loss amounted to 73 cents a share for the quarter ended March 31. That compared with a profit of $286 million, or 60 cents a…

* Budget update (Rikki King, The Daily Evergreen)

released its detailed preliminary budget reduction plan today, announcing job cuts and vertical program reductions and eliminations.

* Nation of doubters has lost faith in government (Bob Barr, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Trust is a fragile commodity, easily lost and difficult to regain. As an asset in the public arena, honesty appears to be in shorter and shorter supply. Even as considerable rhetoric continues to be devoted to restoring trust in government, recent studies clearly indicate we remain a society awash in dishonesty and mistrust.

* Foreclosure looms for McAfee estate (Debbie Kelley, The Gazette)

One of the Pikes Peak region’s most star-studded home sales in recent years – the purchase of the sprawling mountain estate built by software pioneer John McAfee – is in danger of becoming one of its highest-profile foreclosures.

* Gold moves higher as dollar falls, stocks rally (Sara Lepro, Kansas City Star)

Gold prices rose Wednesday along with other commodities, buoyed by a falling dollar and an increasingly upbeat outlook on the economy.Positive news about banks’ balance sheets drove investors into stocks and other more risky asset classes on Wednesday and away from the U.S. dollar, which is considered a safe haven. This helped boost gold, which is seen as a hedge against inflation and a …

* Is it Teacher Depreciation Week in Florida? (Dave Weber, Orlando Sentinel)

The calendar may say it’s Teacher Appreciation Week in Florida, but if you are one of the thousands of classroom instructors worrying if you will have a job past the end of the month, it may not seem like a joyous occasion.

Attorney Laurie Magid yesterday filed formal criminal charges against Joseph S. Forte, a Broomall investment manager who allegedly defrauded investors of $20 million in a scheme that collapsed late last year.

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Markets shrugged off a steady barrage of grim U.S. economic news to push oil prices above $35 a barrel Thursday, with a drop in the dollar encouraging investors to buy crude.

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Group Inc. execs are working feverishly to shape what’s expected to be the biggest overhaul of financial services regulation in decades.

Productivity and cost-saving initiatives have spread in waves across corporate America during the last several years, as businesses have struggled to survive and prosper in a rocky economy. One of the results is that companies are streamlining and centralizing their purchasing practices in an attempt to be more efficient.

Editor’s note: We’re posting this story from our September 2006 issue because of recent FDA action on ATryn .

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With roads, railroads, and locks and dams getting older, transporting commodities is a main concern for many producers.

flu epidemic are pressuring stocks, increasing options volatility, and depressing commodity prices.

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