By Kevin Allison

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Gold has a dual personality. Many think it is the ultimate hard currency. Others like it because it looks pretty. And while its price climbed high as investors have sought shelter from the financial crisis, gold has behaved more like a risk asset recently.

By Kevin Allison

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Shady corporation sends robot army into space to mine precious metals from asteroids. That’s the basic setup of Blade Runner, the sci-fi epic that hit cinemas 30 years ago this June. It’s also the business plan for Planetary Resources, a U.S. startup that has outlined its strategy to take the mining industry into near-Earth orbit. The economics look challenging, to say the least. But the idea is not completely bonkers.

By Kevin Allison

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

The British government may have warmed to fracking. But while shale-gas extraction has put America on the road to energy self-sufficiency, it may be premature to bank on a similar boom in the UK. The country’s shale formations could be enough to meet decades of demand if bullish interpretations of geological data are right. But economics may keep much of the shale bounty under ground.

By Kevin Allison and Christopher Swann

The authors are Reuters Breakingviews columnists. The opinions expressed are their own.

Higher oil prices are yet another force pushing the euro area’s economies apart. They hit gross domestic product three times harder in Greece than in Germany, according to data from Moody’s Analytics. Ireland and Italy are big losers, too. With Iran worries driving prices higher and sovereign debt fears flaring up again, governments may be even more tempted to tap strategic petroleum reserves. But that won’t guarantee lower prices.

By Kevin Allison

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is seeking a London listing for his $11 billion cement company. It is a watershed moment for Nigeria, and for Africa. There are significant governance hurdles, and Dangote’s plan to build a pan-African aggregates champion isn’t without risks. But the prospect of a FTSE 100-sized Nigerian company is worth celebrating.

By Kevin Allison

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Two years after BP’s disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the UK oil major has yet to convince investors it is undergoing the radical corporate change it promised to achieve. There is no sugar-coating the financial, human and environmental toll of Macondo. But the catastrophe prompted a needed bout of soul-searching and some long-overdue restructuring at the company. A new strategy emerged – to shed stodgy, mature assets and create a smaller, higher-returning company focused on its core competence in exploration. That was the right response. Still, BP’s road to renewal is proving a long one.

By Kevin Allison

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Two years after BP’s deep sea Gulf of Mexico disaster, Total is facing an underwater emergency of its own. The French oil major said on March 27 that it could take up to six months to stem the flow of gas from a leaking well off the Scottish coast. That sent shivers down the spines of investors who watched BP lose about half its market value as the Deepwater Horizon disaster turned from bad, to worse, to catastrophic.

By Kevin Allison

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

A challenge before the World Trade Organization may put China on the defensive over rare earth minerals, used to make essential components in everything from iPads to military gyroscopes. But the case could drag on for years, and Beijing’s policy should play well at home in the meantime.

By Kevin Allison

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Ivan Glasenberg seems to like difficult deals. The chief executive of commodity trader Glencore is still trying to win over shareholders in Xstrata to a proposed $90 billion merger with the miner. But he is potentially also in the market for a smaller but no less challenging acquisition, of Canadian grain handler Viterra.