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Demand for gold will remain robust during 2010 as a result of accelerating demand from India and China, as well as increasing global investment demand driven by continuing uncertainty over public debt and economic recovery, the World Gold Council ("WGC") said.

As 2010 surpassed its half-way mark, just 50 percent of online investors said they believe the S&P 500 index will rise between 5-20 percent by year-end, down from 71 percent just three months ago, according to a late July survey of more than 300 investors conducted by online broker TradeKing (www.tradeking.com).

Commodity markets suffered in May as negative investor sentiment and broad-based macro-themes resulted in losses. However, recent price weakness may provide opportunity as fundamentals remain strong.

The 12-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) crude oil production output averaged 29.21 million barrels per day (b/d) in April, 90,000 b/d lower than the 29.3 million b/d estimated for March, according to a just-released Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials and analysts.

China's apparent oil demand in March climbed 12.8% from a year ago to 35.25 million tonnes or about 8.12 million barrels per day (b/d), but fell below the all-time high of 8.5 million b/d estimated for February, according to a Platts analysis of official data just released.

Prices in the $2.8 trillion global petrochemicals business continued to forge ahead in March hitting new six-month highs and continuing to build on the dramatic gains seen in January when the Platts Global Petrochemical Index (PGPI) rose 10.4%. The index, a basket of the most widely-used petrochemicals prices expressed in dollars per metric ton ($/mt), advanced 0.7% in February and rose again in March to close the month at $1,233/mt, compared to $1,192/mt at the end of February, Platts reports.

The Committee on Capital Markets Regulation, an independent and nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving the regulation and enhancing the competitiveness of U.S. capital markets, said that year-end 2009 data presents evidence of mild improvement in the competitiveness of U.S. public equity markets.

China's apparent oil demand in February jumped 16.6% from a year ago to a historic high of around 8.5 million barrels per day (b/d) or about 33.28 million tonnes, according to a Platts analysis of official data just released.

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries' (OPEC) crude oil production rose to 29.31 million barrels per day (b/d) in February, an increase of 60,000 (b/d) from an estimated January level of 29.25 million b/d, according to a just-released Platts survey of OPEC and oil industry officials and analysts.

Davis, Industrial Info's manager of research for the oil & gas industry markets, spoke about project spending for the North American oil & gas industry at Industrial Info's "Twenty-Ten Industrial Market Outlook," held in Houston on January 27.