Hobbling AI; Chinese Spin; F2F Setback
Hobbling AI The EU has neared agreement on doing what it does best, regulating. This time its target is artificial intelligence. France and Germany were reluctant participants because they have their own startup AI companies and didn’t want to hobble them. Regulatory hobbling from Brussel...
FOB Prices and Freight Rate App (Updated 7 December)
Ocean Freight Comments - 7 December 2023 By Jay O'Neil Commodity Consulting As the old saying goes, “what goes up, must come down.” Dry bulk markets were not kind to Capesize vessel owners this week as that sector witnessed an historic one-day decline on Thursday. Markets seem confu...
Interactive Ocean Freight Rates (Updated 7 December)
Ocean Freight Comments - 7 December 2023 By Jay O'Neil Commodity Consulting: As the old saying goes, “what goes up, must come down.” Dry bulk markets were not kind to Capesize vessel owners this week as that sector witnessed an historic one-day decline on Thursday. Markets seem conf...
EU-Mercosur Deal Smooshed
The multi-year effort to negotiate a trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur appears to have run into too many hurdles on both sides of the Atlantic. France is a key blocker in Europe, with claims that the environmental provisions are not tough enough on South America. Argentina said it was...
European Market Analysis
Regional News On 1 December, Bulgaria lifted its import ban on four agricultural products (wheat, corn sunflower seed, and rapeseed) from Ukraine. Last week, Russia announced an export quota for grains of 24 MMT for 15 February through 30 June 2024, which would imply monthly exports...
Green and Brown Collide
Last week’s win in the Netherlands by Gert Wilders was a stunning refutation of the Green Deal. The policy’s former protagonist in the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, was relegated to a minority role with just seventeen seats. He had left his Commission position with the idea of ru...
European Market Analysis
Regional News Russia has shipped two vessels of wheat to Somalia and Burkina Faso as part of the country’s promise to send free grain to Africa. China purchased 66 KMT of feed corn from Ukraine at $248/MT C&F for December shipment. Through 24 November, Ukraine has ex...
African Farming; European Farming
African Farming This is said to be the African Century. Over half the world’s population growth to 2050 will come from that region of the world. Yet its agriculture is woefully unable to feed the current population, let alone where it is headed. The average yield for maize this year in Af...
European Market Analysis
Regional News After a rainy winter crop planting season, Europe’s weather looks to finally change to favor fieldwork in the next week. The 7-day forecast offers below-normal precipitation for the UK, Spain, and France with near-normal volumes for Germany and southeast Europe. Temper...
Over-greening Bees; China versus Labor; Farm Policy
Over-greening Bees In 2018 we were all warned that a third or more of our food supply was being threatened by the struggles facing bees. Europe focused on insect pollinator health, including banning (with exceptions of course) neonicotinoid pesticides as a threat to pollinators. American resear...
European Market Analysis
Through 9 November, Ukraine’s grain harvest reached 90 percent of the total area and spanned 9.84 million hectares (MHa). The total crop is 51.275 MMT, of which corn production has hit 21.22 MMT and the harvest is 72 percent complete. Sunflower seed production has hit 11.52 MMT and just 3...
WASDE Soybeans
Soybeans: USDA’s outlook for 2023/24 is higher U.S. ending stocks, up 25 million on higher yields, to 245 million bushels. The U.S. season-average soybean price for 2023/24 is forecast at $12.90 per bushel, unchanged from last month. The soybean oil price was reduced 2.0 cents to 61.0 cen...
Hobbling AI; Chinese Spin; F2F Setback
Hobbling AI The EU has neared agreement on doing what it does best, regulating. This time its target is artificial intelligence. France and Germany were reluctant participants because they have their own startup AI companies and didn’t want to hobble them. Regulatory hobbling from Brussel...
FOB Prices and Freight Rate App (Updated 7 December)
Ocean Freight Comments - 7 December 2023 By Jay O'Neil Commodity Consulting As the old saying goes, “what goes up, must come down.” Dry bulk markets were not kind to Capesize vessel owners this week as that sector witnessed an historic one-day decline on Thursday. Markets seem confu...
Interactive Ocean Freight Rates (Updated 7 December)
Ocean Freight Comments - 7 December 2023 By Jay O'Neil Commodity Consulting: As the old saying goes, “what goes up, must come down.” Dry bulk markets were not kind to Capesize vessel owners this week as that sector witnessed an historic one-day decline on Thursday. Markets seem conf...
EU-Mercosur Deal Smooshed
The multi-year effort to negotiate a trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur appears to have run into too many hurdles on both sides of the Atlantic. France is a key blocker in Europe, with claims that the environmental provisions are not tough enough on South America. Argentina said it was...
European Market Analysis
Regional News On 1 December, Bulgaria lifted its import ban on four agricultural products (wheat, corn sunflower seed, and rapeseed) from Ukraine. Last week, Russia announced an export quota for grains of 24 MMT for 15 February through 30 June 2024, which would imply monthly exports...
Green and Brown Collide
Last week’s win in the Netherlands by Gert Wilders was a stunning refutation of the Green Deal. The policy’s former protagonist in the EU Commission, Frans Timmermans, was relegated to a minority role with just seventeen seats. He had left his Commission position with the idea of ru...
European Market Analysis
Regional News Russia has shipped two vessels of wheat to Somalia and Burkina Faso as part of the country’s promise to send free grain to Africa. China purchased 66 KMT of feed corn from Ukraine at $248/MT C&F for December shipment. Through 24 November, Ukraine has ex...
African Farming; European Farming
African Farming This is said to be the African Century. Over half the world’s population growth to 2050 will come from that region of the world. Yet its agriculture is woefully unable to feed the current population, let alone where it is headed. The average yield for maize this year in Af...
European Market Analysis
Regional News After a rainy winter crop planting season, Europe’s weather looks to finally change to favor fieldwork in the next week. The 7-day forecast offers below-normal precipitation for the UK, Spain, and France with near-normal volumes for Germany and southeast Europe. Temper...
Over-greening Bees; China versus Labor; Farm Policy
Over-greening Bees In 2018 we were all warned that a third or more of our food supply was being threatened by the struggles facing bees. Europe focused on insect pollinator health, including banning (with exceptions of course) neonicotinoid pesticides as a threat to pollinators. American resear...
European Market Analysis
Through 9 November, Ukraine’s grain harvest reached 90 percent of the total area and spanned 9.84 million hectares (MHa). The total crop is 51.275 MMT, of which corn production has hit 21.22 MMT and the harvest is 72 percent complete. Sunflower seed production has hit 11.52 MMT and just 3...
WASDE Soybeans
Soybeans: USDA’s outlook for 2023/24 is higher U.S. ending stocks, up 25 million on higher yields, to 245 million bushels. The U.S. season-average soybean price for 2023/24 is forecast at $12.90 per bushel, unchanged from last month. The soybean oil price was reduced 2.0 cents to 61.0 cen...