istockAnalyst.com- Investors face something of a new landscape in financial markets this week after tumbling oil and food prices eased immediate concerns about inflation, potentially freeing central banks to fight slow economic growth.

The focus, however, will also be on some old stalwarts – a continuing stream of corporate earnings reports and the U.S. employment report for July, a monthly bellwether for the health of the American economy.

The past two weeks have seen major declines on commodity markets, which until recently were booming. They had provided investors with gains but also headaches because of the impact of higher prices on companies and economies.

That has now turned around. Since hitting a record above $147 a barrel on July 11, oil has fallen 15 percent.

Food prices have seen similar moves. Wheat is down 18 percent in the past month while corn has lost 25 percent.

From a broad investor perspective, this can be good news, assuming it continues.

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Daily Telegraph- The chief executive of the sugar refining group Tate & Lyle has hit out at hedge funds and other commodity speculators, calling for them to face greater regulation in a bid to hold back soaring food prices.

Hedge funds have been blamed for contributing to the rocketing price of commodities including oil, wheat and corn by speculating in the futures market with highly leveraged bets on forward prices.

Tate & Lyle boss Iain Ferguson called for limits to be placed on speculators’ involvement in the futures market and the way hedge funds and others finance their activity.

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