BHP Billiton

BHP Billiton, the No. 1 mining company in the world, announced a record set of earnings along with a freaking 10 billion share buy back. That number up from its original setting of 3 billion. That's absolutely out of this world. It has increased it dividends for the 10th consecutive year and it doesn't stop there either. They announced 29 new projects estimating at $17.5 billion dollars in cost. These numbers sounds like they could be from a small country. It has all been made possible by huge increases in commodity prices. Here's some info about the company:

Leading supplier of core steel making raw materials
World's second largest copper producer
World's second largest exporter of energy coal
World's third largest producer of nickel
World's fourth largest producer of uranium
World's sixth largest producer of aluminum
A significant producer of oil/gas
Has substantial interests in diamonds, silver, and titanium metals
They operate in approximately 25 countries

Pretty amazing stuff and look for these guys to keep pumping up production/exploration.

I would like to mention something. So I was listening to the talking heads on CNBC, as I have been knows to do. I often find it humorous. Anyways, they said the commodity/gold bull is over. They also said that 2007 is going to be a great and prosperous year for the U.S. They went on how the housing bust is over and it didn't have a negative effect in our economy and that Ben Bernarke has been essential in the soft landing "Goldilocks" economy (not too hot but not too cold). In fact, Kudlow asked 3 financial analysts to give a 1-10 rating (10 being the highest) of Chairmen Bernarke. The lowest score he got was an 8.75. I will be really interested to hear what they have to say at the same time next year regarding the Fed Chairmen. These guys are so absolutely ridiculous that one can do nothing but laugh at them. I would like to leave you with a quote by the author Upton Sinclair. He said, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on him not understanding it"