Shares of CALM near 52-wk high, cocoa futures pause from record run

The largest specialty shell egg producer in the U.S., Cal-Maine Foods, saw fiscal 2008 Q2 profits hop 526% over 2007.

The average retail price of eggs in 2007 climbed 28.3% to $1.68 a dozen, from $1.31 in 2006.

All food prices are up, thanks to higher commodity prices and increased energy costs. But eggs rose more than any other food category last year because they're more closely tied to farm and wholesale prices, says Ephraim Leibtag, an economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.

Cocoa futures have enjoyed a sweet run with the other soft commodities, until this past week when they all got sheared.



Economists point to both a weaker dollar and a boom in global agricultural demand for the surge in prices for eggs and chocolate.

But what the charts fail to show is a suspicious trail of fur, and a smattering of 40-ounces empty on the curb.


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