Posted on 03/03/2011 11:43:49 AM PST by FromLori
The world’s largest commodities trading firm, Glencore International, which was founded by Marc Rich (He is no longer affiliated), is considering a massive IPO.
CNBC's Kate Kelly is reporting that Glencore is signaling to bankers that it expects to issue at least $7 billion in stock as part of an initial public offering to launch as early as April.
Glencore is a heavy trader in oil, gas, wheat, corn, aluminum, nickel, and just about every other raw commodity you can think of.
These guys are as shrewd as you can get. If they want to go public at this point, they likely see some type of top in the hot commodity markets. Given that Fed pumping last year is partially fueling the current commodity rise and almost all of the stock market gains, it may be a wise move. There appears to be a significant slowdown in Fed money supply growth since the first of the year. The Fed is still pumping money out, but most of it is ending up out of the system in excess reserves. If this continues, the commodity market will reverse its upward climb and the IPO window will be shut. Glencore may be trying to take money off the table before this happens.
That said, this does not mean that price inflation won't rage at the consumer level. Money printed by the Fed is just now seriously starting to hit that sector, so though commodities and the stock market will turn down, if money supply growth slows, this will not stop the consumer level price inflation. Remember, a downturn in the economy is about money moving from the capital goods sector to the consumer sector.
I don’t plan on buying any of their stock.
Maybe maybe not. A good start up business plan includes how and when the principals are going to cash out.
Doesn’t sound attractive to me though.
Who needs commodities? We can eat all the phony money Bernanke is printing.
LOL we can’t even burn it for heat, it’s just electrons these days.
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