More embarrassment for the TSX

The Mickey Mouse operation of the TSX defies belief sometimes. Yes, the impressive trading volume that passes through a modern exchange like the TSX goes without much heralding. Performance, no matter how active the market, is expected. Failure is not. When a market is unable to function properly, even for a short period, it is not acceptable. When it is halted for a whole day - well, that is absolute failure. Gone are the days when you can blankly blame the technology and the people behind it. This is a management problem. After today's failure, heads should fall.

A little sweetener in your portfolio

According to a recent Businessweek table there are some commodity prices that have actually risen in the past year. While wheat prices have fallen almost 30%, the prices of refined sugar are up over 20% over the past year. Some may take this as proper incentive to cut down on fattening sweets and sweeteners, but investors like to follow the pricing power. Not surprisingly, Rogers Sugar Income Fund (TSX:RSI.UN) is showing signs of a change in trend. It is now a Stock Trends Weak Bearish stock and is one of a few encouraging trading opportunities in the consumer staples sector.