Zeev's Turnips Patch-No Politics (ZEEV)

[From the East Bay]

COFFEE - that's a commodity to watch.

It occurred to me, as I was sipping my afternoon coffee, that there is a soft commodity - COFFEE - that might shoot up because of greatly increased consumption of the stuff by the rapidly growing Chinese middle-class. One of the many papers on Chinese growth prospects I've read lately made this point. I always thought Chinese were tea-drinkers. But 200 million people now buying French clothing and perfume might also get hooked on Espressos, and if that happens, they'll have to import huge quantities of beans!