Export Sales
Export Sales and Shipments for period March 15-21, 2024. Wheat: Net sales of 339,600 metric tons (MT) for 2023/2024 were down noticeably from the previous week, but up noticeably from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 408,900 MT were up 3 percent from the previous week, but do...
Summary of Futures
May 24 Corn closed at $4.2675/bushel, down $0.0575 from yesterday's close. May 24 Wheat closed at $5.475/bushel, up $0.04 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soybeans closed at $11.925/bushel, down $0.065 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soymeal closed at $339/short ton, down $0.8 fr...
Market Commentary: Acreage Outlooks Weaken Corn, Soy; Wheat Gains on Firmer Russian Offers
Trade at the CBOT was mostly lower heading into Thursday’s Grain Stocks and Prospective Plantings reports from the USDA, but wheat futures managed to find midday support and settle higher. Wheat’s strength came from another week of cautious gains in Russian FOB offers, which is seen...
BRICS Grain Exchange; EU Policy Foibles; Yen Implosion
BRICS Grain Exchange Russia is reportedly pushing other BRICS members to use the bloc as a grain exchange in competition with the West. The assertion is that these countries already control 42 percent of the grain trade. Add the new members like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE, plus other...
FOB Prices and Freight Rate App (Updated 27 March)
Ocean Freight Comments - 22 March 2024 By Matt Herrington The Baltic Dry Indexes strengthened earlier this week, but those gains faded by Thursday afternoon and markets turned mixed for the week. Capesize markets continue to struggle as they wait for Chinese demand to increase while Panamax and...
Interactive Ocean Freight Rates (Updated 27 March)
Ocean Freight Comments - 22 March 2024 By Matt Herrington The Baltic Dry Indexes strengthened earlier this week, but those gains faded by Thursday afternoon and markets turned mixed for the week. Capesize markets continue to struggle as they wait for Chinese demand to increase while Panamax and...
Market Commentary: CBOT Sinks on Risk-Off Trade; Cattle Futures Crash on HPAI Discovery
Reactions to news headlines dominated Tuesday’s commodity trade with markets selling off in defensive, risk-off price action. As is discussed in more detail below and in nearby pages, bearish news hit the markets from the overnight collapse of a bridge in Baltimore, Maryland that closed t...
Factless Nostalgia; Cash is King
Factless Nostalgia There is yet another crusader against the modern agrifood system. This time it is Austin Frerick, who claims authenticity due to his Iowa roots but he is just another Ivy League university (Yale) pontificator hollering from the ivory tower. His book, “Barons,” com...
Summary of Futures
May 24 Corn closed at $4.325/bushel, down $0.0525 from yesterday's close. May 24 Wheat closed at $5.435/bushel, down $0.115 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soybeans closed at $11.99/bushel, down $0.1025 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soymeal closed at $339.8/short ton, down $1...
The Next Bull is a Cow
The market reacted bearishly to reports of HPAI in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, implying concerns about a demand shock. USDA advised there is no risk to human health and the animals are recovering. Nonetheless, feeder cattle futures dropped $3-5 and live cattle prices dropped over $2/cwt. Cl...
HPAI Spreads to Mammals; Detected on Dairy Farms
Yesterday, there were two reports made public of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detections in livestock. First, kid goats in Minnesota, who were in what was a former backyard poultry operation depopulated due to HPAI. That set of circumstances created a situation where there was a hig...
February Cold Storage
The February Cold Storage report’s numbers reflect a significant drawdown in red meat and poultry stocks compared to one year ago. Total red meat and poultry inventories were down nearly 9 percent year-over-year, despite higher slaughter and meat production numbers for the month. The repo...
Export Sales
Export Sales and Shipments for period March 15-21, 2024. Wheat: Net sales of 339,600 metric tons (MT) for 2023/2024 were down noticeably from the previous week, but up noticeably from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 408,900 MT were up 3 percent from the previous week, but do...
Summary of Futures
May 24 Corn closed at $4.2675/bushel, down $0.0575 from yesterday's close. May 24 Wheat closed at $5.475/bushel, up $0.04 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soybeans closed at $11.925/bushel, down $0.065 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soymeal closed at $339/short ton, down $0.8 fr...
Market Commentary: Acreage Outlooks Weaken Corn, Soy; Wheat Gains on Firmer Russian Offers
Trade at the CBOT was mostly lower heading into Thursday’s Grain Stocks and Prospective Plantings reports from the USDA, but wheat futures managed to find midday support and settle higher. Wheat’s strength came from another week of cautious gains in Russian FOB offers, which is seen...
BRICS Grain Exchange; EU Policy Foibles; Yen Implosion
BRICS Grain Exchange Russia is reportedly pushing other BRICS members to use the bloc as a grain exchange in competition with the West. The assertion is that these countries already control 42 percent of the grain trade. Add the new members like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE, plus other...
FOB Prices and Freight Rate App (Updated 27 March)
Ocean Freight Comments - 22 March 2024 By Matt Herrington The Baltic Dry Indexes strengthened earlier this week, but those gains faded by Thursday afternoon and markets turned mixed for the week. Capesize markets continue to struggle as they wait for Chinese demand to increase while Panamax and...
Interactive Ocean Freight Rates (Updated 27 March)
Ocean Freight Comments - 22 March 2024 By Matt Herrington The Baltic Dry Indexes strengthened earlier this week, but those gains faded by Thursday afternoon and markets turned mixed for the week. Capesize markets continue to struggle as they wait for Chinese demand to increase while Panamax and...
Market Commentary: CBOT Sinks on Risk-Off Trade; Cattle Futures Crash on HPAI Discovery
Reactions to news headlines dominated Tuesday’s commodity trade with markets selling off in defensive, risk-off price action. As is discussed in more detail below and in nearby pages, bearish news hit the markets from the overnight collapse of a bridge in Baltimore, Maryland that closed t...
Factless Nostalgia; Cash is King
Factless Nostalgia There is yet another crusader against the modern agrifood system. This time it is Austin Frerick, who claims authenticity due to his Iowa roots but he is just another Ivy League university (Yale) pontificator hollering from the ivory tower. His book, “Barons,” com...
Summary of Futures
May 24 Corn closed at $4.325/bushel, down $0.0525 from yesterday's close. May 24 Wheat closed at $5.435/bushel, down $0.115 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soybeans closed at $11.99/bushel, down $0.1025 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soymeal closed at $339.8/short ton, down $1...
The Next Bull is a Cow
The market reacted bearishly to reports of HPAI in dairy cows in Texas and Kansas, implying concerns about a demand shock. USDA advised there is no risk to human health and the animals are recovering. Nonetheless, feeder cattle futures dropped $3-5 and live cattle prices dropped over $2/cwt. Cl...
HPAI Spreads to Mammals; Detected on Dairy Farms
Yesterday, there were two reports made public of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) detections in livestock. First, kid goats in Minnesota, who were in what was a former backyard poultry operation depopulated due to HPAI. That set of circumstances created a situation where there was a hig...
February Cold Storage
The February Cold Storage report’s numbers reflect a significant drawdown in red meat and poultry stocks compared to one year ago. Total red meat and poultry inventories were down nearly 9 percent year-over-year, despite higher slaughter and meat production numbers for the month. The repo...