speculation

So where are we? Politics editor Paul Wells explains as the parliamentary year begins

Former hedge fund analyst Andrew Hepburn catches speculators with their fingers in the cookie jar

It’s not just about weaker demand, it’s about the end of a story investors have been betting on

Just about every day, I continue to get letters and emails from readers, about this column from a few weeks ago, in which I argued that speculators are not really to blame for the soaring price of energy. Whatever role they play in the market tends to be positive, eliminating pricing inefficiencies and generally smoothing the rise and fall of futures contracts. The price increase is due to high demand, stretched supply and a shortage of refinery capacity.

Michael Schneider of Variety writes about the “finalists” for the Emmys — the 10 shows in each category that make the short-list. (This isn’t a list of nominations, it’s a list of shows that have a chance to be nominated.) A list like this is useful to let us know what shows have no chance of being nominated, and it appears that How I Met Your Mother and Battlestar Galactica have been shafted once again: they’re not on the short-list for Best Comedy and Best Drama, respectively.

A cabinet shuffle tomorrow? Really?