11:05am: A Silicon Valley startup rents solar panels to homeowners - a strategy that is both cost-effective for customers and, thanks to generous tax breaks, a boon to its bottom line. (more)

Oct 17: It's an unnerving time for commodities-stock investors. But it could also be an opportunity. (more)

Oct 1: Oil prices will keep rising, says billionaire investor Richard Rainwater - and he's putting money on it. (more)

Sep 26: The long lines and closed pumps seen across the South last week are a warning: inventories are way too low. (more)

Sep 17: A shortage of petroleum engineers is boosting pay rates. Plus, more on speculators and $4 gasoline. (more)

Sep 11: A new report arguing that speculators are to blame for high prices is way off the mark, but that won't stop politicians from using it as "evidence." (more)

Aug 22: There's a way to find out how much oil waits on the U.S. continental shelf. So why don't we? (more)

Aug 13: The issue isn't about lowering gas prices today but securing oil supplies for the future. (more)

Aug 6: With crude prices falling, the stock of the No. 1 independent refiner should benefit. Also: more on why speculators aren't to blame. (more)

Jul 24: As the CFTC trumpets its charges against a Dutch trading fund, the fundamental supply-and-demand factors that govern the price of oil haven't changed. (more)

Jul 21: The president is pushing to lift the ban on drilling off the coasts. That won't be a quick fix for oil prices. (more)

Jul 16: The leaders of OPEC says its members have plenty of oil to meet demand. So why aren't they putting more on the market? (more)

Jul 2: The story of the Hunt brothers, who cornered the market on silver in the 1970s, shows why speculators aren't driving up oil prices. (more)

Jun 27: Onions have no futures market, yet their recent price volatility makes the swings in oil and corn look tame. (more)