The ripple effect from Hurricane Katrina may be far reaching, ... already sent fuel prices soaring which are going to hurt the U.S. consumer and therefore the economy.

Although there is little doubt that fundamentals are tight, there seems an awful lot of hype in the market and with prices knocking on $6,000 a ton, the whole complex looks over cooked and in need of a reality check.

As a nation of free men, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.

The combination of a sharp rebound in US equities, a slightly weaker dollar and strong Chinese data seems to have been enough to underpin the metals.

On the surface, the base metals look strong, but there is a danger the rug could get pulled from underneath the market.

This, and ongoing concerns over supply are likely to underpin prices, so unless some external event upsets the funds, the upward trends are likely to keep prices on the rise.