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Nearly three out of four Americans are becoming more concerned about rising prices, according to a new poll. BMO Financial Group released survey data on the economy and inflation that showed that 74% of Americans say they are becoming increasingly worried about rising costs due to inflation. “More than 70% feel their financial momentum is threatened by higher grocery bills (78%) and the rising cost of gas (76%),” the group said. “In order to prepare for a potential recession, 76% of Americans said they are making lifestyle changes such as delaying large purchases on a house or car, paying down...

Australia is on the brink of a major crisis that could see tens of thousands of vehicles pulled off the road, grocery supplies dwindle and prices skyrocket, with every citizen set to be impacted. On Friday, news.com.au reported on the urea shortage facing the nation, with experts warning the fiasco would devastate the transport industry within weeks. But the full extent of the nightmare is becoming clearer, with the shortage set to also affect agriculture, power generation, the trades, healthcare and everyday consumers.

. . . . . Last night I sent out an email to all on my list about the rising price of food in our supermarkets.  It included a post by Director Blue. This morning, as I was hearing Glenn Beck -- in a lead in to a commercial spot for a food storage company -- give out some facts and figures about how much food prices have risen, I was reading the responses to my email.  (I've  included them at the end of this post). Friends, I went shopping for groceries last Friday -- green peppers were $1.24 each...

BEIJING (Reuters) - Wang Zihua's last pay rise was two years ago and the 56-year-old post office worker in the northern Chinese city of Harbin is concerned his 1,200 yuan monthly salary is being eaten away by rising prices. Chinese inflation remains tame, but prices have been creeping up in the past few months and policymakers may not only have to step up their rhetoric but also the pace of monetary tightening to prevent Wang's fears from becoming a reality. "I really worry that prices may rise more quickly in the future, especially for rice, meat and vegetables. After all,...

Copper, the common metal used in everything from cars to toasters, has become an attractive target for criminals, reflecting the fact that it has quintupled in value since 2001. A Peru man was charged Monday with felony theft and burglary in connection with the theft of copper and brass from Dielectric Communications in Raymond, which makes telecommunications equipment. Ralph Whalen, 50, a former employee, is accused of stealing almost $10,000 worth of the industrial metals. He was implicated after police in Mexico charged him with stealing copper scraps from outside a vacant commercial building there. Two weeks ago, the Cumberland...

<p>An Interview With James Turk - Gold appears to have broken out of its longtime funk. But is the move just a flash in the pan or something more substantial? For an answer, we turned to one of the more obsessed gold authorities we know, James Turk, publisher of the Freemarket Gold & Money Report newsletter and founder and managing director of Goldmoney.com, a company striving to make the metal the currency of choice in global commerce, especially in cross-border transactions. An international banker and manager of the commodity department for the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for much of the 'Eighties, Turk spent most of the 'Nineties providing strategic advice and forecasts to investment managers. To learn why he thinks gold is on the cusp of a new bull market and which stocks he's focused on, please read on.</p>