After a close vote, the House of Representatives voted for a 5 percent cut in a program that nearly 48 million Americans use. The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, also known as food stamps, will no longer be accessible for 3.8 million people next year. To read more about the bill, CLICK HERE.  

Learn more about $39 Billion Dollar Cut For Nutritional Programs.

Raw materials are the carbohydrates of our economy. Every country is dependent on commodities like coal, iron, steel, and agricultural products like wheat, corn, and soybeans. These materials are not just for expansion and growth… but vital for economic survival. Consider these stats… China is using about 131 million tons of coal a year. World demand for steel is 1.24… 

Concrete is truly an amazing product. Its use in construction was first popularized during the Roman Empire. Concrete’s impact was so profound it spawned its own renaissance. The Roman Architectural Revolution was built on the versatility of concrete. No longer were architects and builders constrained by brick and stone. The miracle product, concrete, allowed for larger more structurally complex buildings.… 

According to a 2007 ADOT report there are approximately 254.4 million vehicles in the United States. The cost of upkeep and fuel is astronomical, and a lot of people make a lot of money off of that massive fleet…Oil companies, automakers, part manufacturers and mechanics just to name a few. But eventually that car is going to reach the end… 

Let me ask you a simple question… “Which country has the world’s largest auto-industry?” If you guessed the U.S. or Japan you’d be wrong. The correct answer, since 2009, is China. Last year auto sales in China were up 32%! In July alone General Motors sold 173,398 vehicles in China. Buick sold over 50,000, and Chevrolet sold over 46,000 vehicles.… 

Xinyuan Real Estate (XIN) is a big residential property developer in China. As of the end of 2010 they had completed 21 projects. Those 21 projects had a combined size of over 2 million square meters and totaled 23,324 units. XIN is a vertically integrated company… because they really do it all. Xinyuan focuses on building apartment buildings. These high-rise… 

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the equity markets these days.  We’re up 100 one day and down 200 the next.  Who do you blame?   Greece, Ireland, the entire European Union?  Maybe it’s the economic data.  Anyway you look at it we’re surrounded by uncertainty. But that’s not necessarily true for all the markets.  Just look at the precious metals… 

Ever get tired of all the fighting in Washington? I know I do. The uncertainty that it’s injecting into the market right now is criminal. This whole debt ceiling fight is entirely a tug of war between the Republicans and Democrats. But, there is one area where both sides agree… Energy Independence. Now I know there’s some disagreement there too……