se at $57.59 per barrel earlier this week; the first time it's dipped below $58 since Feb. 15.

Why? There are a number of factors contributing to oil's recent dip: rising crude inventories around the world, a slowing global economy, lower demand after the summer driving season, and a weaker hurricane season.

In addition, in September, a consortium of oil companies announced it had discovered 15 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves in the Gu

It looks as though it'll take more than a nuclear bomb to thwart the North American penny stock markets.

The world's loopiest dictator announced last weekend that he detonated a nuclear bomb. How did the global markets respond? They didn’t even hiccup...maybe they yawned.

Geopolitical tension has become commonplace. And the markets are used to it.

While the South Korean won and stock market and the Japanese yen came under pressure earlier this week on news that Kim Jong-il had (apparently) tested the bomb, fallout in other financial markets was minimal.

"It's like investors are saying, 'Wake me up when the bomb is actually falling,'" noted one senior economist.

Thanks to the situation in Iran, Palestine, and Lebanon, penny stock inventors have become accustomed to the daily geopolitical trysts. As a result, our tolerance level has risen significantly.

By the middle of the week South Korea's Kospi stock index had gained 0.7% and Japan's Nikkei had risen 0.3% to a five month high. In North America, stock markets were steady.

By Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average crossed 11,900 for the first time, buoyed by optimism that earnings would be strong, despite a slowing economy.

It helps too that the tensions in North Korea and other corners of the world have come up against some of the strongest growth the global economy has posted in the past 30 years.

Is there something that could make the markets sit up and take notice? Many economic analysts point to a political crisis that interrupts oil supplies...or has the potential to interrupt.

But even that seems unlikely, at least in the short term. Oil fell to an eight-month low this week even as OPEC vowed to cut production for the first time since 2004. Crude oil slipped 93 cents in New York to close at $57.59 per barrel earlier this week; the first time it's dipped below $58 since Feb. 15.

Why? There are a number of factors contributing to oil's recent dip: rising crude inventories around the world, a slowing global economy, lower demand after the summer driving season, and a weaker hurricane season.

In addition, in September, a consortium of oil companies announced it had discovered 15 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves in the Gu

r this week on news that Kim Jong-il had (apparently) tested the bomb, fallout in other financial markets was minimal.

"It's like investors are saying, 'Wake me up when the bomb is actually falling,'" noted one senior economist.

Thanks to the situation in Iran, Palestine, and Lebanon, penny stock inventors have become accustomed to the daily geopolitical trysts. As a result, our tolerance level has risen significantly.

By the middle of the week South Korea's Kospi stock index had gained 0.7% and Japan's Nikkei had risen 0.3% to a five month high. In North America, stock markets were steady.

By Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average crossed 11,900 for the first time, buoyed by optimism that earnings would be strong, despite a slowing economy.

It helps too that the tensions in North Korea and other corners of the world have come up against some of the strongest growth the global economy has posted in the past 30 years.

Is there something that could make the markets sit up and take notice? Many economic analysts point to a political crisis that interrupts oil supplies...or has the potential to interrupt.

But even that seems unlikely, at least in the short term. Oil fell to an eight-month low this week even as OPEC vowed to cut production for the first time since 2004. Crude oil slipped 93 cents in New York to close at $57.59 per barrel earlier this week; the first time it's dipped below $58 since Feb. 15.

Why? There are a number of factors contributing to oil's recent dip: rising crude inventories around the world, a slowing global economy, lower demand after the summer driving season, and a weaker hurricane season.

In addition, in September, a consortium of oil companies announced it had discovered 15 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves in the Gu

he week South Korea's Kospi stock index had gained 0.7% and Japan's Nikkei had risen 0.3% to a five month high. In North America, stock markets were steady.

By Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average crossed 11,900 for the first time, buoyed by optimism that earnings would be strong, despite a slowing economy.

It helps too that the tensions in North Korea and other corners of the world have come up against some of the strongest growth the global economy has posted in the past 30 years.

Is there something that could make the markets sit up and take notice? Many economic analysts point to a political crisis that interrupts oil supplies...or has the potential to interrupt.

But even that seems unlikely, at least in the short term. Oil fell to an eight-month low this week even as OPEC vowed to cut production for the first time since 2004. Crude oil slipped 93 cents in New York to close at $57.59 per barrel earlier this week; the first time it's dipped below $58 since Feb. 15.

Why? There are a number of factors contributing to oil's recent dip: rising crude inventories around the world, a slowing global economy, lower demand after the summer driving season, and a weaker hurricane season.

In addition, in September, a consortium of oil companies announced it had discovered 15 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves in the Gu

lobal economy has posted in the past 30 years.

Is there something that could make the markets sit up and take notice? Many economic analysts point to a political crisis that interrupts oil supplies...or has the potential to interrupt.

But even that seems unlikely, at least in the short term. Oil fell to an eight-month low this week even as OPEC vowed to cut production for the first time since 2004. Crude oil slipped 93 cents in New York to close at $57.59 per barrel earlier this week; the first time it's dipped below $58 since Feb. 15.

Why? There are a number of factors contributing to oil's recent dip: rising crude inventories around the world, a slowing global economy, lower demand after the summer driving season, and a weaker hurricane season.

In addition, in September, a consortium of oil companies announced it had discovered 15 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves in the Gu

se at $57.59 per barrel earlier this week; the first time it's dipped below $58 since Feb. 15.

Why? There are a number of factors contributing to oil's recent dip: rising crude inventories around the world, a slowing global economy, lower demand after the summer driving season, and a weaker hurricane season.

In addition, in September, a consortium of oil companies announced it had discovered 15 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves in the Gulf of Mexico. That's equivalent to half of America's reserves.

Despite a nuclear North Korea, ongoing geopolitical tensions, and warnings of an economic downturn, analysts remain confident that the stock market will stay strong in the months ahead.

And for any penny stock investor, those are encouraging words as we head into the fourth quarter...which for many companies, is their strongest quarter of the year.