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Hard Assets Investor submits: By Lara Crigger Spring is in the air, and it's that time again: March Madness. No, not the basketball tourney—we mean the historical rise in crude oil and natural gas prices, which increase an average of 4 percent and 7 percent, respectively, according to recent research from natural resources and emerging markets mutual fund company U.S. Global Investors. And this March looks like it will continue the pattern, says Evan Smith, co-manager of the company's Global Resources Fund (PSPFX). Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Lara CriggerAlthough gold's still well off its December 2009 highs, the price has strengthened in recent weeks; on Thursday, it hit $1,118.40/oz. Not half bad for a metal whose bubble has supposedly popped. But gold still has much further to go, says Andrew Schectman, co-founder of precious metals dealer Miles Franklin. Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Tom VulcanWhat do red traffic lights, anti-dandruff hair shampoos and brown-tinted photographs have in common? The answer: selenium.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Julian MurdochMid-February may seem like an odd time to look at 2009's shipping year in review. But as we enter earnings reporting season, now is actually the ideal time to revisit the things that were for shipping companies, as well as look ahead to what may come.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Brad ZiglerThere are a lot of disappointed investors wondering why silver hasn't done a better job catching up to gold. You can see their predicament in a chart plotting silver's relative strength. Think of it as a gold/silver ratio turned upside downComplete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Brad ZiglerMost people don't think of meat as a hard asset. After all, you want your steak tender, don't you? Still, the cattle market has been cooking since the beginning of February. Yesterday's 40-cent (0.4 percent) gain notched the fifth straight higher close for April live cattle.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Brad ZiglerReal-Time Monetary Inflation (last 12 months): 2.0%Oil and gold are looking a little black and blue as the result of a post-New Year sell-off. Well, truth be told, oil's been taking most of the punches. Nearby crude contracts are off nearly $8 a barrel, or 9.5%, since the top of the year; spot gold's slipped only $16 an ounce, or 1.5%.Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: By Julian MurdochBack in September, Brad Zigler correctly identified the end of copper's 2009 run. What he failed to predict, however, was that shortly thereafter, copper would set a new base from which to launch an Everest-like rise:Complete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: Stocks or futures—which offers the best way to play commodities? The answer, of course, is that "it depends." But in times of contango, says Satch Chada, equities may offer the greater edge.Chada is a managing director and global head of Investor Solutions for Jefferies Asset Management, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Jefferies Group now manages more than $3.2 billion in assets worldwide. Last year, JAM teamed up with Alps Advisors Inc. to launch the first family of commodity equities ETFs (NYSE Arca: (CRBQ), (CRBI) and (CRBA) based on the CRB Equity Indexes (CRB-EQ Indices). More recently, JAM again teamed up with ALPS to launch the new Jefferies | TR/J CRB Wildcatters Exploration & Production Equity ETF (NYSE Arca: WCAT). Prior to joining Jefferies, Chada was a managing director at Merrill Lynch, and led development of such products and platforms as the HOLDRS, ELEMENTS and TRAKRS programsComplete Story »

Hard Assets Investor submits: Stocks or futures—which offers the best way to play commodities? The answer, of course, is that "it depends." But in times of contango, says Satch Chada, equities may offer the greater edge.Chada is a managing director and global head of Investor Solutions for Jefferies Asset Management, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jefferies Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Jefferies Group now manages more than $3.2 billion in assets worldwide. Last year, JAM teamed up with Alps Advisors Inc. to launch the first family of commodity equities ETFs (NYSE Arca: (CRBQ), (CRBI) and (CRBA) based on the CRB Equity Indexes (CRB-EQ Indices). More recently, JAM again teamed up with ALPS to launch the new Jefferies | TR/J CRB Wildcatters Exploration & Production Equity ETF (NYSE Arca: WCAT). Prior to joining Jefferies, Chada was a managing director at Merrill Lynch, and led development of such products and platforms as the HOLDRS, ELEMENTS and TRAKRS programsComplete Story »