Morning Money Links: Commodities stay on a hot streak; mixed signals on the jobs outlook; BRICs vs. MAVINS

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--- The scent of inflation: Commodities are having another strong day, led by natural gas amid the Big Freeze in the East. Oil is up for a tenth straight session, topping $83 a barrel. The Reuters/Jefferies CRB index of 19 commodities has jumped 3.4% this week, compared with the 2% rise in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index.

--- Mixed signals on jobs: Leading up to Friday’s all-important government report on December employment, a Challenger Gray survey found that fourth-quarter job cuts by major companies were the fewest in nine years. But ADP Employer Services’ monthly survey found that private-sector payrolls fell by 84,000 in December, a larger-than-expected number.

--- Emerging-market fever: The BRIC bloc (Brazil, Russia, India and China) owned the last decade in terms of stock performance. Could the MAVINS rule the new decade?

-- Tom Petruno