The New Year will get off to a very nervous start with three major factors set to impact at the least the first few weeks of trading in 2013. Those factors are:
The Fiscal Cliff: Today is the last day of negotiating before the U.S. does, indeed, tip over the fiscal cliff. Hopes for some sort of agreement or compromise over this past weekend failed, like every other attempt has over the past year. The specter of the fiscal cliff has had an impact on investors of every description. At the very least, they have moved money into "safe" investments, if there is such a thing these days. At worst, they have taken all of their money out of the market and buried it their backyards. In either case, commodity prices have been steadily softening...
What You Need to Know Today: Cattle futures extended their sharp selloff Friday as weakening cash cattle prices, deteriorating feedlot profitability, and reduced packer demand continued to weigh on the market. The inability of futures to sustain a rally following last week's bullish Cattle on...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
