_Economy and Finance

The Warren Buffett-hedge fund bet tightens April 26, 2011 5:00 am Berkshire Hathaway's chairman won the 2010 race for investment returns, but Protégé Partners retains the long-term lead. By Carol Loomis, senior editor-at-large FORTUNE -- We're three years into Warren Buffett's 10-year bet with the hedge fund community, and the race has narrowed. For the second year in a row, Buffett's horse in the contest -- an S&P 500 index fund -- did better than the average return booked by five funds of hedge funds picked by Protégé Partners LLC, a New York money-management firm.

GlobeOp To Unveil Hedge Fund Indices 04-06-2011 | Source: emii.com GlobeOp Financial Services is seeking to roll out two new indexes tracking capital flows hedge funds. The two indices will offer monthly reports based on actual and anticipated capital movement data independently collected from all hedge fund clients for whom GlobeOp provides administration services.

FEBRUARY 11, 2011, 12:38 P.M. ET Hedge fund Level Global to liquidate funds Associated Press NEW YORK — One of several hedge funds that is under scrutiny in an insider trading probe is liquidating its funds and returning cash to investors. Level Global Investors LP expects to fully liquidate by the end of March, according to a letter to investors obtained by The Associated Press on Friday.

Alternative Investing: Fine Art - CNBC Investing In Fine Art Can Mean Pretty Profits By: Shelly K. Schwartz, Special to CNBC.com If you’d added a few paintings to your portfolio over the last few years, instead of all those bank stocks, your retirement nest egg might be looking a little different right now. Indeed, for the ten-years ended July 2010, the price index of all fine art work sold more than once worldwide has produced a nearly 11 percent annualized return, outperforming the Standard & Poor’s 500 index of large cap stocks and most other asset classes, including bonds and commodities—though gold was the clear frontrunner during those years, according to artprice.com in France, which tracks the market. ...

Bacon prices sizzle. Consumers feel the heat. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Bringing home the bacon is getting more expensive. Whether it's a bacon cheeseburger from a local diner or packs of bacon on grocery store shelves, you can expect to pay a higher price for your favorite cured meat until demand simmers down or more hogs are bred. ...

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS |AUGUST 21, 2010 Rethinking Gold: What if It Isn't a Commodity After All? This won't sit well with some people: Gold isn't a commodity. There. I've said it.

Analysis: China poised to set gold market alight as it opens up By Lewa Pardomuan and Langi Chiang SINGAPORE/BEIJING | Thu Aug 5, 2010 12:32pm EDT (Reuters) - China's moves to free up its gold market open the way for foreign players and local banks to tap growing demand for the precious metal, offering citizens a more attractive investment and promising to boost the country's clout over global prices.

Wheat prices soar. Are bread prices next? NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With wheat futures soaring to their highest level in two years, you could soon find yourself paying more for a loaf of bread at your local grocery store. ...

WSJ.com - Wheat at Two-Year High on Russian Export Ban http://on.wsj.com/9ZOmDg Wheat futures prices soared Thursday to their highest levels in two years after Russia said it would ban grain exports due to a severe drought, a move that heightens concerns about global supplies of the grain and the possible impact on food prices. ...

Commodities - Wheat Soars; Rogers Sees 'Much Higher' Food Prices - CNBC The July rise in wheat prices, the fastest in 51 years, indicates that shortages in agriculture are coming, Jim Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings, told CNBC.com Tuesday. ... "That's the straw that broke the camel's back," "We're going to have much, much higher prices over the next few years," "Be prepared, if you have a sugar bowl home go fill it up because it's going to be more expensive," "Prices aren't high enough and most people don't believe it," "Unless prices are high you're not going to attract people in the business. Eventually people will go into farming again but it's going to take a while." "It's all happening at a time when governments are printing more money… it's a very dangerous situation," "When you print money, it's got to go in a place where it can protect itself,...

Commodities - Is Gold Pointing to Lehman Mark II? - CNBC Gold and oil prices are flashing warning signals that this summer may look more like the summer before the collapse of Lehman Brothers than the one that preceded the onset of the crisis in 2007, according to Simon Derrick, head of currency research at Bank of New York Mellon. ...

Classic Car Market on Bumpy Road - CNBC Owning a classic car is often a childhood dream and in May this year the highest price ever was reached at an auction for a classic car: 9 million euros ($12.2 million) for a 1957 Ferrari Testa Rossa. ...

Emerging Markets: Out of Recession BRICs Emerging From Recession - CNBC.com Some emerging markets have rebounded strongly. Goldman's Jim O'Neill talks about when it's time to get in.

Investments That Wear Well Over Time - CNBC Leave it to Hollywood to give used clothes cache. Once considered taboo to wear previously owned frocks, the red carpet is now crawling with A-list celebrities—Penelope Cruz, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Moss and Sarah Jessica Parker—sporting vintage gowns, handbags and even accessories. ...

Coins: Precious Metals, Rare Mints And Tales of Intrigue - CNBC Stockpiling coins is no longer just for the collector, nowadays even the average investor can find profits in pennies. Well, maybe not pennies, but some coins are worth their weight in gold, literally. ...

Variety Can Bring Vitality For Your Portfolio - CNBC In a market characterized by manic mood swings, it’s hard to stomach the notion of adding alternative asset classes—which can be very volatile—to your portfolio. ...

Investors' Guide to Fine Wine - CNBC If your traditional portfolio has left a bad taste in your mouth, you may want to consider a more flavorful investment. ...

Music To The Ears Of Investors - CNBC Hardcore collectors spend hour upon hour at estate sales, crawl through dank, dirty basements and crawl spaces in search of that rare gem among the rubbish, hoping to make the one find that will net tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. You could understand such behavior if they were looking for diamonds or gold. But vinyl? ...

Vintage Cars: Wheels of Fortune or Road To Ruin? - CNBC Looking for a way to justify blowing $100,000 on a red 1967 435-hp Corvette with special three-deuce holly? Say it's an investment. "With 20-20 hindsight, if I had known eighteen months ago that my 401(k) was going down the toilet, I would have taken that money and invested in vintage cars," says David Schultz, a board member at the Classic Car Club of America. ...

Putting Your Stamp On A Collection - CNBC While tangible investments have their charms in times of market turmoil like today, investors thinking of hedging their portfolios with collectible stamps might just find themselves getting licked. ...