Stranger than fiction.

Check out the consumer-products stocks.

February-dated bullion contracts are up $2.20 at $638.60 an ounce.

But neutral sentiment has soared in TheStreet.com RealMoney Barometer.

Some pessimists are softening their grim stances on the economy.

The Caribbean Basin Fund’s share price has more than doubled since Castro stepped aside in August.

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Quiksilver (ZQK) and Plantronics (PLT) entered a partnership to provide sports apparel and accessories equipped with Bluetooth technology.
Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
The clothing accessories line combines the outdoor sports clothing of Quiksilver, a Huntington Beach, Calif., apparel provider, with Bluetooth mobile phones, iPods and MP3 players provided by Plantronics, a communication headset products […]

Is the automaker value-priced or skidding to a stop?

March oil futures rise nearly $1 a barrel.

Also, checking in on a Citigroup prediction.

You’ve only got three seconds to make an impression with your trade show display. Here’s how to do it.