Commodity prices are back. This paper looks at connections between monetary policy, and agricultural and mineral commodities. We begin with the monetary influences on commodity prices, first for a large country such as the United States, then smaller countries. The claim is that low real...

Commodity prices are back. This paper looks at connections between monetary policy, and agricultural and mineral commodities. We begin with the monetary influences on commodity prices, first for a large country such as the United States, then smaller countries. The claim is that low real...

More than halfway through the new decade, the South African economy has done very well. Growth was high in 2004, 2005 and 2006, capital inflows and the rand are strong, the budget is relatively healthy, and inflation rates and interest rates are low. As democracy continues to consolidate, there...