Commodities are an ever changing asset group, driven by yhe dynamics of supply and demand. Developments around the world are impacting the attention given to commodities by investors.

Commodities are “real assets” , usually priced in U.S. dollars. Commodities have historically had the benefit of inflation. When the need for goods and services rises, so do the commodities needed for those goods and services. Investment throughout the commodity sspectrum can offer a good diversification.

It is all terribly confidential. Meeting agendas are limited to only a few and when they are delivered no one talks about what is to be discussed. The big issue is the Euro and if it will survive. Nationalists feelings may be checked at the door, but we’ll see. The major worry is world recession. That recession could very well be triggered by the Euro going belly-up.

The membership of the Bilderberg Club include Henry Kissinger and David Rockefeller. Does this have an Illuminati association? With various conspiracy theories linking these two names to a New World Order, one world currency, and numerous coups and corporate mergers, the theorists will have a good year. All pondering aside, this club of elites will have plenty to digest from their plates besides the great food. The Euro is in trouble and news from Greece, where the Bilderbergers met last year, isn’t improving. The U.S. stock markets have been on a wild ride that has shook the working families up and wondering if they should keep their money in or not.

Fear not, The Club of Clubs will have all the solutions including how to stop the Gulf oil leak….. right? Did I mention that last year’s meting was in Greece?

The Asian Indexes were hit by tensions near the Korean peninsula.

The Fed policy meeting will have some internal struggles as far as interest rates go. The labor market is still slow, but inflation won’t take off. The economy should grow at 3 % in 2010.

Most economists are not worried about the report as it’s most likely factored into the markets already. When a slow February hits, a good March usually follows. The dollar was lower vs. the euro, but higher against other currencies.

The movement has gotten the media attention. The defining moments for the Tea Party has been done on the fly with puzzling results. Take Ron Paul for example. So much for being left on the shelf to collect dust. Recently he has gained more support which lacks a political party foundation. His supporters seen to want it that way. Well and good, however can Paul’s support continue to lift him to the White House?  Most likely no, because there is too much fragmentation. Is Paul the candidate to bond that support together and keep it together? I’ll let you answer that.

Republican PAC’s are getting money to the Tea Party movement. This shows that a party structure is waiting on the sidelines to jump right in. That’s fine, however buyer beware. The very core of the movement are form those who are turned off by the political party system and feel it’s time for change. When more party people step in they might get a rude awakening. We’ll have to see what transpires after the Tea Party Tour ends later this spring.

Sara Robinson wrote an interesting article on ourfuture.org that plainly “populist” might be a wrong term to use in describing the Tea Party. When you read it be aware that politics has a tendency to work in orbits that can spin seemingly out of control; if not “tamed” for a forward movement.

The Commerce Department’s home sales report had unexpectedly reported new home sales falling 11.2% in January. Germany’s economic recovery came to a halt. Ben Bernanke told lawmakers that flat oil prices will keep inflation in check. He went on to say that an increase in goods and services in the private sector only can aid further sustained  growth in the U.S. economy.

The dollar is looking better technically against the euro.

Consumer optimism is improving according to the oil traders and they brought that into play. Expect a pullback before prices continue higher.  The key is $76.70 as a price below could spark a sell-off as the bears would pay attention again.

One example is bagged salad. Customers just didn’t want the packaging of their lettuce changed. They wanted the salad made for them. What started out as a novelty is now a mainstay business in most areas of the United States. This might be simple, but I can hear you (and me) say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

The goal is to bridge gaps rather than create them. One store that brought in this concept was Best Buy. They did some customer research and found that 55 percent of their shoppers were men. The research went another step and asked women why they didn’t shop at Best Buy more. The answer was that Best Buy was a store for men designed by men and manned by men. When the women shoppers were asked what a big turn-off was, they responded that they were given too much technical information about a product rather than how to operate a product and its function.

Best Buy had to shrink the core customer base rather than expand it. Store were redesigned and store floor employees were trained more on the function and operation of store products. This allowed for a new connection with the customer. Align the tasks and information around the customer.

Excerpt from Reorganize for Resilience by Ranjay Gulati

Most important, they must also guarantee precisely the reverse: that the line of sight from the customer into the organization is equally unimpeded, and in a final twist that the companies see themselves from the outside, with their customers, so that they can help wherever their customers are, in their hours of greatest need.

Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the trouble asset relief program (TARP) sent the quarterly report to Congress that was released Sunday. He said banks still have incentive to take on risk because the mindset is that the government will bail us out if we get into trouble. About 90% of home loans are backed by government controlled entities like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He said the two entities need to be reformed soon and loan underwriting needs to be improved.