Feeding the World
The current global population is estimated to total around 7.5 billion. By most measures, the world creates or produces enough food to feed them all. In theory, the world’s food security has never been higher. Nevertheless, it is estimated that around 800 million people – more than...
FOB Prices and Freight Rate App (Updated 19 July)
Update for 19 July 2019: Data updated for all routes/origins. Update for 17 July 2019: Data added for Romanian corn and wheat FOB and CNF Egypt. Data added for feed wheat FOB Black Sea and CNF various destinations. Tweet 4 May Update: Pushed a user interfa...
Interactive Ocean Freight Rates (Updated 19 July)
Update 19 July 2019: Data is updated for all origins/destinations. Ocean Freight Insights and Comments - 18 July 2019 By Jay O'Neil Commodity Consulting The bulls got hold of the freight markets this week and pushed things higher. This was the biggest single week jump in the...
Market Commentary
Modest volume in overnight trading featured mostly lower prices before the market turned higher heading into the morning break. Corn, soybean, and wheat futures all finished that session with 3-5 cent gains. The day session opened with notable buy corn/sell soybeans action that left the soy com...
Market Commentary
Overnight trading saw continued selling from Monday’s weaker day with soybeans leading the way lower to losses in excess of 10 cents. Soymeal was also hit hard, while corn and wheat futures suffered more minor dips into the red. The Crop Progress report was somewhat comforting yesterday w...
Race to Fix Labor
U.S. agriculture utilized a quarter-million temporary migrant workers last year under the H-2A agricultural guest worker program, and it was still far from enough labor. The problem, say farmers, is that the program is slow and too complex. Even though most applications for H-2A labor are filed...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Egypt has advised that fuel prices will be reviewed every three months after recent increases of up to 30 percent. The subsidized fuel prices there will be based on world fuel prices as well as the value of the Egyptian pound against the USD...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
Milling Wheat Wheat prices are mixed across Europe and the Black Sea today as the market continues to react to the WASDE report. French prices are slightly higher after the agency reduced its EU ending stocks forecast and remain above other regional offers, which will likely curtail export pote...
Economic Chemistry Power; Plan B; Role of Government
Economic Chemistry Power The major powers (Europe, Russia, U.S. and China) have long used their dominant economic influence to coerce other nations into compliant policies. The U.S. has added labor and environment positions to its trade pacts ever since NAFTA in 1994. In its most recent trade a...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS According to the EU’s latest Monitoring Agricultural Resources (MARS) report, drought conditions in eastern Morocco and western Algeria have adversely impacted cereal crops, but eastern Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt have all had a go...
Hazards of Forecasting
Each year the OECD and FAO jointly issue a 10-year outlook for global agricultural production, but its record for accuracy presents caution to all forecasters. The market’s reaction to changes in supply and demand are far fickler than the models can assume. Their ten-year forecast in 2008...
Market Commentary
At the macro level, the day started off with a strong U.S. jobs report that indicated 224,000 jobs were created in June. This reduced the chances that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates, which buoyed the U.S. dollar and caused equities to back off from the roaring gains of the past f...
Feeding the World
The current global population is estimated to total around 7.5 billion. By most measures, the world creates or produces enough food to feed them all. In theory, the world’s food security has never been higher. Nevertheless, it is estimated that around 800 million people – more than...
FOB Prices and Freight Rate App (Updated 19 July)
Update for 19 July 2019: Data updated for all routes/origins. Update for 17 July 2019: Data added for Romanian corn and wheat FOB and CNF Egypt. Data added for feed wheat FOB Black Sea and CNF various destinations. Tweet 4 May Update: Pushed a user interfa...
Interactive Ocean Freight Rates (Updated 19 July)
Update 19 July 2019: Data is updated for all origins/destinations. Ocean Freight Insights and Comments - 18 July 2019 By Jay O'Neil Commodity Consulting The bulls got hold of the freight markets this week and pushed things higher. This was the biggest single week jump in the...
Market Commentary
Modest volume in overnight trading featured mostly lower prices before the market turned higher heading into the morning break. Corn, soybean, and wheat futures all finished that session with 3-5 cent gains. The day session opened with notable buy corn/sell soybeans action that left the soy com...
Market Commentary
Overnight trading saw continued selling from Monday’s weaker day with soybeans leading the way lower to losses in excess of 10 cents. Soymeal was also hit hard, while corn and wheat futures suffered more minor dips into the red. The Crop Progress report was somewhat comforting yesterday w...
Race to Fix Labor
U.S. agriculture utilized a quarter-million temporary migrant workers last year under the H-2A agricultural guest worker program, and it was still far from enough labor. The problem, say farmers, is that the program is slow and too complex. Even though most applications for H-2A labor are filed...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Egypt has advised that fuel prices will be reviewed every three months after recent increases of up to 30 percent. The subsidized fuel prices there will be based on world fuel prices as well as the value of the Egyptian pound against the USD...
Southeast Europe Regional Analysis
Milling Wheat Wheat prices are mixed across Europe and the Black Sea today as the market continues to react to the WASDE report. French prices are slightly higher after the agency reduced its EU ending stocks forecast and remain above other regional offers, which will likely curtail export pote...
Economic Chemistry Power; Plan B; Role of Government
Economic Chemistry Power The major powers (Europe, Russia, U.S. and China) have long used their dominant economic influence to coerce other nations into compliant policies. The U.S. has added labor and environment positions to its trade pacts ever since NAFTA in 1994. In its most recent trade a...
Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa Regional Analysis
Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS According to the EU’s latest Monitoring Agricultural Resources (MARS) report, drought conditions in eastern Morocco and western Algeria have adversely impacted cereal crops, but eastern Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt have all had a go...
Hazards of Forecasting
Each year the OECD and FAO jointly issue a 10-year outlook for global agricultural production, but its record for accuracy presents caution to all forecasters. The market’s reaction to changes in supply and demand are far fickler than the models can assume. Their ten-year forecast in 2008...
Market Commentary
At the macro level, the day started off with a strong U.S. jobs report that indicated 224,000 jobs were created in June. This reduced the chances that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates, which buoyed the U.S. dollar and caused equities to back off from the roaring gains of the past f...