COTTON FUTURES SKYROCKET

It's not just food that's inflating. Clothing is going to become ridiculously expensive, too. Throw fuel into the mix and everything we need to survive will go through the roof.

Of course, big screens should get cheaper, but you can't eat or wear them.

Companies are stocking up now, while the price is still affordable. What are you doing to protect yourself and your family?

Pray and prepare. And remember, when the time comes and the riots start as they have in the Middle East, having some food and other essentials stocked away will allow you to stay in place and ride it out. Egypt is a warning shot fired across our bow and a clear picture of the possibility for unrest we face in this country.

Get ready!

"U.S. cotton futures jumped for the third straight day on Wednesday, settling up the daily
limit, as Asian mills fueled the rally on average volume.

Cotton futures have rallied almost 25 percent since the middle of January, the latest wave of a historic run that began in 2010 and sent cotton prices to their loftiest levels in almost 150 years.

"It's basically mills panicking," said Lou Barbera, a cotton analyst for brokerage VIP Commodities. "Overseas mills are getting the ball rolling."

Cotton is the biggest gainer of commodities on the Reuters-Jefferies commodity index in 2011, matching a feat it achieved in 2010 when it gained 90 percent for the year."
Reuters

"Gap Inc., J.C. Penney Co. and other U.S. retailers may have to pay Chinese suppliers as much as 30 percent more for clothes as surging cotton prices boost costs.

“It’s a little terrifying to deal with cotton suppliers now,” said Vicky Wu, a sales manager at Suzhou Unitedtex Enterprise Ltd., a closely held, Jiangsu province-based clothes maker that counts Gap and J.C. Penney among its clients.

Cotton futures in China have surged more than 70 percent this year and were at a record earlier as the global economy emerged from recession, allowing people to spend more on clothes. Production of the fiber in China, the world’s biggest user and importer, is forecast to lag behind demand for a 12th year, cutting its stockpile to the smallest since 1995, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“American consumers better get used to rising prices on the shelves of Wal-Mart and other retailers,” said Jessica Lo, Shanghai-based managing director at China Market Research Group. “China’s manufacturers are getting squeezed not only by rising cotton costs but also soaring real estate and labor costs.”"
Bloomberg

"Companies contending with rising commodity prices are stockpiling rubber tires, cotton clothing and other goods, a maneuver that is aimed at insulating them from inflation but also could contribute to it.

Spice-maker McCormick & Co. stocked up on some ingredients and Monro Muffler Brake Inc. bought extra tires and motor oil, assuming prices of those goods will keep rising. Anton Sport, a small athletic-wear wholesaler in Tempe, Ariz., amped up its fabric purchases to avoid higher prices.

These pre-emptive purchases are a fraction of overall business activity, but the trend is being watched by economists and business executives. The stockpiling comes at a pivotal moment for the global economy, as central bankers scramble to judge the impact of raw-materials price increases and figure out whether or when to raise interest rates.

Purchases made more because of perceived inflationary pressures than a response to demand are important because they signal that inflation expectations are climbing. Economists often focus on inflation expectations, because they can spur people to speed up their purchases, in turn driving prices higher."
Wall Street journal