The biggest news of the day is the fact that May crude oil futures traded to negative prices, posting a daily low of negative $40.34 (-$40.32) before settling slightly higher. U.S. crude oil storage capacity is basically nonexistent right now, helping create the price weakness and today’s collapse. May futures posted a $56/barrel drop today while June futures fell a mere $4.60 and closed at $20.43/barrel.
Some news outlets are reporting that a U.S. exchange traded fund (ETF), USO, is also partly responsible for the crash. According to Forbes, the USO fund owned 25 percent of the outstanding volume of May WTI crude oil futures as of last week. Because funds, especially ETFs, do not typically want to take delivery of futures co...
What You Need to Know Today: Crude oil prices extended their rally today, supported by several developments, including escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and growing concerns about supply disruptions. The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to remove 50 perc...
Key Takeaways: The agricultural trade surplus has become a sizable deficit: the balance swung from a $40.1 billion surplus in 2011 to a $40.7 billion deficit in 2025. Imports kept growing while exports lost momentum: between 2020 and 2025, agricultural imports increased 45 percent, compa...
USDA released its October Cattle on Feed report Friday, showing 11.4 million cattle in feedlots with capacity for 1,000 head or more, slightly below last year. September placements were the lowest for the month since records began in 1996, marking the third consecutive month of placements sett...
Regional News Dry weather across the UK and Europe is becoming increasingly concerning for the 2027 crops as planting intentions are lowered amid dry soil conditions. Delayed sowing or establishment under adverse conditions could leave crops more vulnerable to frost/freeze events and dise...
