Esther Tanquintic-Misa

The savvy investor who knows how to play his cards well will opt to maintain a diversified portfolio rather than just focus on one commodity or equity to ensure steady and long-term capital gains.The same is being advised to Australia, most especially now that China's super-power status seems to be not so super powerful at all, with cracks seen anew in its latest property market report.

India, one of the world's emerging economies on Monday, has been advised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to re-open its nuclear power plans to address its energy crisis.

East African country Kenya recently intensified its prospects in known gold fields in Western Kenya in a bid to take part in the escalating global pandemonium for the supposed soothing psychological effects of gold among investors.

With China's property market suffering a decline, analysts speculate the world is heading for a severe recession as a weakening global steel production will pressure prices of iron ore to further go down, pulling along with it prices of other commodities.

As developed nations scramble trying to resolve respective fiscal problems, worldwide prices of crude oil continue its ascent as the winter requirements peak that could eventually trigger global domestic prices of gasoline and diesel to spike as well.

War-torn Afghanistan may have yet to create a concrete and definitive framework to be able to attract more foreign investments, but regional investors interested in its mining treasure remain undeterred even as the country still remotely sees the end of its inner problems.

Global demand for platinum, the yellow metal's alter ego in terms of value, will increase 5.8 per cent annually from 2010 to 2020, mining corporate finance company Allan Hochreiter partner René Hochreiter said.

In this age of technological innovation and advancement, e-commerce and rapid urbanisation, almost everything is possible and achievable. In business, companies can create a product and make consumers want it, in the same way that consumers can create a need for a product and make business actually produce it.

China, the world's second-largest economy, would be better off scouting and buying gas imports from Central Asia, primarily Turkmenistan, to meet near-term demand.

If the minority party in the South Australia Parliament continues its political delaying tactics, much more will be lost for the coffers of the state government, a possibly irked Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said on Thursday.

Despite Asian prices of gold declining on Thursday, Indian investors continue to believe in the psychological stabilizing effect of the yellow metal as gold buying grew 8 per cent to register an all-time high of 81.73 billion rupees, according to the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI).

Not all good things last. Or perhaps, some good things HAD to last.Australia may already need to create alternative options if it wants to secure the momentum of its economic growth in years to come after a new research indicated the country has saturated the economic benefits of its mining boom.

As fresh concerns rose over the massive fiscal crisis that continue to cripple the eurozone particularly Italy and Greece, investors on Thursday went to a market frenzy as most cashed their investments prompting Asian gold prices to go down.

Prices in the commodities market plummeted on Thursday led by gold and copper as investor confidence tumbled on discouraging news of China's exports reaching its slowest in eight months, Greece's debt problems, Italy's mounting borrowing costs and concerns of a spread out of the eurozone problem.

Triggered by a number of regulatory policies promoting energy efficiency, coupled with new technology, biofuel use and increasing concern for climate change, the world's demand for oil may peak before 2020, new research suggests.

October freight rates for spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels increased to $112,000 from $42,000 year-on-year.

Oil prices in Asia fell below $97 a barrel on Wednesday buoyed on China's retreating inflation rate.

With the mining boom in Western Australia seen to sustain the overall economic growth of the country into the next century, mining companies are in a frenzy to hunt for thousands of workers to fill the parallel increasing workforce gap.

Indonesian Coal Miner ABM Investama will push through in December its planned initial public offering (IPO) despite recent market instability caused by weakening global demand for raw material coking coal.

Withstanding difficult coal market conditions and low interest from industry peers, Australian coal miner Queensland Coal Corporation will enter into an initial public offering early next year.

Newly listed Australian gold base metals and uranium miner Mining Group Limited announced it has bought an 80 per cent interest in the Philippines' Comval Project, effectively expanding its gold and base metal tenement overseas.

Scrambling to extend the life of its mines, four of which are set to conclude by 2020, China's Minmetals Resources Ltd. is on the prowl to acquire Australia-based miners Mirabela Nickel Ltd. and Alumina Ltd., with a $7 billion to boot to capture the two companies' nickel, bauxite and alumina output.

Prompted by global concerns pulling down valuations, Zijin Mining Group Co. of China has allotted some Yu10 billion (US$1.6 billion) to acquire deals targeting gold, copper and other metals that are in short supply in China.

The proverbial red tape prevalent in most governments has largely affected small businesses in Queensland, which have been thumped $7 billion in taxes, fees and other charges annually.

Prices of copper crept up on Tuesday as investor confidence rallied on Greece forming a new government that will push the necessary bailout package needed to control a looming default.

BHP Billiton's indenture arrangement bill, a prerequisite to start the expansion plans of its $30 billion Olympic Dam copper and uranium mine project, has received ample backing from the Liberal MPs, guaranteeing its likely passage before Christmas.

The Chinese are known for being thrifty in business. They hate high prices. And this temperament may overwhelm the boom in most commodities, as is the case now in the prices of copper and rare earth metals.

China, the world's second-largest economy, will weather out the fiscal turmoil hitting the eurozone and will eventually survive the global financial meltdown.

A group of Chinese media and public intellectuals on Sunday called on the China federal government to modify the present standards used in monitoring Beijing's air pollution.