Poor Farmer

Note : For background information and to learn about the difference between the cash market and the futures market, visit: Coffee Trade 101: Cash Market vs. Futures Market   - Wondwossen --- Dissent is brewing in the coffee market. By Anna Raff The Wall Street Journal October 13, 2010 Market participants say the benchmark futures contract for the arabica variety doesn't reflect real-world prices, pointing to aging coffee beans counted in stockpiles but seen as unfit for the drinks and roasted beans widely consumed in North America. This leaves big coffee distributors and cafe owners in a bind: With futures lagging the current market price of coffee, roasters are unable to adequately hedge their costs and compensate for sharp price swings. This means surging prices for the beans will trickle down more quickly. With successive crop failures in Colombia and Central America, the surge in cash prices has outpaced increases in the price of IntercontinentalExchange Inc....

Seeks Public Comment on Changes that Would Update Guides and Make Them Easier to Use FTC Released on October 06, 2010 Published here on October 13, 2010 The Federal Trade Commission today proposed revisions to the guidance that it gives marketers to help them avoid making misleading environmental claims. The proposed changes are designed to update the Guides and make them easier for companies to understand and use. The changes to the “Green Guides” include new guidance on marketers’ use of product certifications and seals of approval, “renewable energy” claims, “renewable materials” claims, and “carbon offset” claims. The FTC is seeking public comments on the proposed changes until December 10, 2010, after which it will decide which changes to make final. “In recent years, businesses have increasingly used ‘green’ marketing to capture consumers’ attention and move Americans toward a more environmentally friendly future. But what companies think green claims mean and what co...