THE US$

Interesting article on the US Dollar in the LA Times.

Resurgent dollar slams Americans' foreign stock holdings
The once-struggling U.S. dollar suddenly is the strongman of the world’s major currencies. That’s great for Americans’ purchasing power -- but if you’ve noticed, it’s a heavy blow to the foreign stock holdings in your portfolio.

Takeaway:
As the Dollar strengthens foreign holdings are reduced in value upon currency conversion. People/investors appear to be buying US Dollars to invest in safer US based investments.

As the Dollar becomes more in demand its value increases and commodities priced in Dollars become cheaper for people using the US$. This may be part of the reason oil has been dropping. The current price of NYMEX oil can be found on Bloomberg

Hostilities between Russia and the Republic of Georgia may halt or reverse the recent price drops if tensions further increase. Keep a close eye on the situation for signs of further escalation.