Commodities Cycle Won't Be Over for Years and Food Crisis Looms, Rogers Says

im Rogers, famed investor and best-selling author, announced the start of a global commodities rally in 1999. It turned out to be a heck of call: Since then, commodities have dramatically outperformed stocks.

Just this year, gold has hit record highs above $1000 per ounce, copper has nearly doubled and oil has rallied sharply off its March lows. So does Robers still believe in the commodity boom?

You bet. "The story is not over, not for a while," he tells Tech Ticker in this video clip. "I don't see any reason it's going to be over for a few years because no one is bringing new supply on stream."

The chairman of Rogers Holdings still owns gold though it's not his favorite metal. "Gold is mystical to many people. I think I'll make money in other commodities that are more useful."

Rogers is far more bullish on agricultural commodities. As he sees it, "most agricultural products are still depressed on a historic basis."

The lack of supply Rogers sees is especially concerning when it comes to agricultural products. "A catastrophe is looming," he says. "The world is going to have a period when we cannot get food at any price in some parts of the world.”

A potential food crisis transcends money, but Rogers warning may still prove to be another great investment lesson. As he told us in parting, "instead of getting an MBA, get yourself a farming degree. You'll make a lot more money."

Nickel is the metal of the future, analyst

The long-term nickel floor price has ‘turned the corner’ and will continue to rise over coming decades, according to resources adviser Martin Pyle, Principal of Perth-based Martin Pyle Consulting.

The forecast was made at the first day of the Paydirt 2009 Australian Nickel Conference, currently being held in Perth.

“It is clear the global financial crisis impacted construction and transport, major factors in the associated reduction in stainless steel demand and therefore nickel in the short- term,” Pyle said.

Click here to learn more! “Forecasts of 500,000 tonnes a year in new nickel demand by 2020 now look conservative.

Aruba could be next big sale

Aruba Networks Inc. could be the next big networking acquisition, according to analyst Avi Cohen at Avian Securities.

Barron's Tech trader Daily blog quotes Cohen as saying that the Sunnyvale-based company's (NASDAQ:ARUN) $800 million market cap could be just the right size for potential suitors. He includes Juniper Networks Inc. (NASDAQ:JNPR), IBM Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU) and Siemens in that group.

Cohen said that with 10 percent of the market Aruba trails Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) in its market.