Market Commentary: Some Reversals, Some Not
Corn, soybeans and soyoil all closed lower after trading up the previous three sessions. July soymeal made it a fourth trading session higher, and wheat remains on a tear with a fifth trading session closing higher. The mood around wheat sees supply concerns developing in North America and in t...
Forecast Cow-Calf Profits Near Record, Robust Heifer Retention Expected
Cow-calf producer margins are discussed less frequently in these pages than their downstream counterparts of feedlot and beef packer margins, but this doesn’t mean they are less important to understanding the beef industry’s current state and outlook. Additionally, discussion of thi...
Reigniting a Transatlantic Deal; Indian Powerhouse; “Barons” is Bombastic
Reigniting a Transatlantic Deal Former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta is something of a policy rock star after authoring a report on the future strategy for the EU. Most of the 146-page report focuses on strengthening the EU’s internal Single Market but, buried at the end of th...
Market Commentary: Wheat Extends Rally; Funds Cover Shorts Amid Widespread Futures Strength
The spring 2024 wheat rally continues as weather threats linger for the U.S., Europe, and the Black Sea. Weather forecasts that offer a challenging outlook for the 2024/25 Northern Hemisphere crop are forcing funds to keep exiting short positions, with the resulting positive technical developme...
Hecho en Mexico; Radical for Small; Impeach Tai?
Hecho en Mexico While outgoing Mexican president and populist AMLO tries to shutdown American farmers, the U.S. government just keeps giving to Mexico. The de minimis duty is about to go away. The personal free import allowance is complex. Most American citizens reentering the country think of...
E15’s Rube Goldberg Regulations
Last Friday, 19 April, the EPA issued an emergency waiver for E15 to be sold through the summer driving season. The topline takeaway of that action is positive for the ethanol sector, but the practicality of implementing the new rule is more complex. Indeed, the structure of the Cle...
Market Commentary: Global Wheat, Oilseed Futures Rally on Weather Threats
Friday’s strength in CBOT and broader global ag commodity futures was simply a foreshadowing of the rallies that would develop on Monday. Heading into the weekend, markets were jittery on perceived weather risks, many of which turned out to be prescient. Over the weekend, parts of the U.S...
WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 22 April)
Update for 1 April 2024: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where ob...
Trading Waste; Ottawa versus Manila; Politician’s Lag
Trading Waste Rich Westerners consumed so much plastic that even though landfills take much of it, their export of plastic waste now overwhelms Asia. Then Western policymakers gave yellow grease (used cooking oil) a very low carbon score for use as energy since it is a form of recycling. With h...
Water, Energy, and Competition
Agriculture is both water and energy. As a prime input to food production, agriculture has long been characterized as the exporting of water. Now it is increasingly the exporting of energy. U.S. ethanol exports rose 16 percent over the past two years and are up 30 percent for the first two mont...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Wheat Wheat from the 2024/25 campaign remains a topic of discussion in Argentina, with conflicting views regarding the area to be sown. The reality of the situation is that wheat production margins have been improving in recent weeks due to the improvements in futures prices, but also due...
Market Commentary: CBOT Gains to Close Week; Wheat Firms on Bullish News
The CBOT was mostly higher to end a mostly bearish week with wheat leading the way on several mildly bullish developments. Wheat futures saw price-supportive development in the IGC’s lower 2024/25 global ending stocks forecast, dryness in the U.S. Southern Plains, and smaller Russian 2024...
CFTC COT Report Analysis
Based on futures’ price action late last week and early this week, one would be expecting funds to have been net sellers in the major ag commodities, and that’s exactly what happened. Funds expanded their short soybean position by some 30,000 contracts, making it a new five-year low...
Cattle on Feed Report: Placements and Marketings Dropped Sharply
USDA released the monthly Cattle on Feed report today. Total inventory, placements and marketings all came in lower than the pre-report estimates, though total inventory was at the same volume or higher than last year for the seventh consecutive month. Placements came in well below the average...
Summary of Futures
May 24 Corn closed at $4.335/bushel, up $0.0675 from yesterday's close. Jul 24 Wheat closed at $5.6675/bushel, up $0.1375 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soybeans closed at $11.505/bushel, up $0.1625 from yesterday's close. Jul 24 Soymeal closed at $343.2/short ton, up $5.8 fro...
Cattle on Feed
• U.S. Cattle on Feed (in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head) totaled 11.8 million head on April 1, 2024 and was 1 percent above April 1, 2023. • Placements in feedlots during March totaled 1.75 million head, 12 percent below 2023. • Marketings of fed cattle during Marc...
Oilseed Highlights: Still Softly Descending
The Market Soybeans sharply rebounded on Friday after hitting a one month low the day before, likely on short covering. For the week, May soybeans lost 16.25 cents (-2 percent) and November soybeans gave up 15.25 cents. The latter new crop contract still carries an 11 cent premium over the soon...
FOB Prices and Freight Rate App (Updated 19 April)
Ocean Freight Comments - 19 April 2024 By Matt Herrington Spot dry-bulk freight markets remain weak amid dull April demand but rates are improving for May and June with improved interest in booking cargoes. Chinese demand for iron ore and coal has improved and bolstered capesize rates while gra...
Interactive Ocean Freight Rates (Updated 19 April)
Ocean Freight Comments - 19 April 2024 By Matt Herrington Spot dry-bulk freight markets remain weak amid dull April demand but rates are improving for May and June with improved interest in booking cargoes. Chinese demand for iron ore and coal has improved and bolstered capesize rates while gra...
Export Sales
Export Sales and Shipments for April 5-11, 2024 Wheat: Net sales reductions of 93,600 metric tons (MT) for 2023/2024 were down noticeably from the previous week and from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 487,800 MT were down 22 percent from the previous week, but unchanged fro...
Market Commentary: Looking for Market Movers
The bearishness continues as South America crops loom and Northern Hemisphere weather is stable. The impending flood of Argentine soymeal and soyoil onto the market sent the May soyoil contract to a new low. There was nothing in today’s weekly USDA Export Sales report to alter the...
Market Commentary: Some Reversals, Some Not
Corn, soybeans and soyoil all closed lower after trading up the previous three sessions. July soymeal made it a fourth trading session higher, and wheat remains on a tear with a fifth trading session closing higher. The mood around wheat sees supply concerns developing in North America and in t...
Forecast Cow-Calf Profits Near Record, Robust Heifer Retention Expected
Cow-calf producer margins are discussed less frequently in these pages than their downstream counterparts of feedlot and beef packer margins, but this doesn’t mean they are less important to understanding the beef industry’s current state and outlook. Additionally, discussion of thi...
Reigniting a Transatlantic Deal; Indian Powerhouse; “Barons” is Bombastic
Reigniting a Transatlantic Deal Former Italian prime minister Enrico Letta is something of a policy rock star after authoring a report on the future strategy for the EU. Most of the 146-page report focuses on strengthening the EU’s internal Single Market but, buried at the end of th...
Market Commentary: Wheat Extends Rally; Funds Cover Shorts Amid Widespread Futures Strength
The spring 2024 wheat rally continues as weather threats linger for the U.S., Europe, and the Black Sea. Weather forecasts that offer a challenging outlook for the 2024/25 Northern Hemisphere crop are forcing funds to keep exiting short positions, with the resulting positive technical developme...
Hecho en Mexico; Radical for Small; Impeach Tai?
Hecho en Mexico While outgoing Mexican president and populist AMLO tries to shutdown American farmers, the U.S. government just keeps giving to Mexico. The de minimis duty is about to go away. The personal free import allowance is complex. Most American citizens reentering the country think of...
E15’s Rube Goldberg Regulations
Last Friday, 19 April, the EPA issued an emergency waiver for E15 to be sold through the summer driving season. The topline takeaway of that action is positive for the ethanol sector, but the practicality of implementing the new rule is more complex. Indeed, the structure of the Cle...
Market Commentary: Global Wheat, Oilseed Futures Rally on Weather Threats
Friday’s strength in CBOT and broader global ag commodity futures was simply a foreshadowing of the rallies that would develop on Monday. Heading into the weekend, markets were jittery on perceived weather risks, many of which turned out to be prescient. Over the weekend, parts of the U.S...
WPI Crop Progress and Conditions App (Updated 22 April)
Update for 1 April 2024: Last year, users pointed out differences between the 5-year averages reported in this app and what USDA estimates in its weekly report. The difference exists because WPI calculates average based on the last 5 years of observations for the current week. In cases where ob...
Trading Waste; Ottawa versus Manila; Politician’s Lag
Trading Waste Rich Westerners consumed so much plastic that even though landfills take much of it, their export of plastic waste now overwhelms Asia. Then Western policymakers gave yellow grease (used cooking oil) a very low carbon score for use as energy since it is a form of recycling. With h...
Water, Energy, and Competition
Agriculture is both water and energy. As a prime input to food production, agriculture has long been characterized as the exporting of water. Now it is increasingly the exporting of energy. U.S. ethanol exports rose 16 percent over the past two years and are up 30 percent for the first two mont...
Mercosur Regional Analysis
Wheat Wheat from the 2024/25 campaign remains a topic of discussion in Argentina, with conflicting views regarding the area to be sown. The reality of the situation is that wheat production margins have been improving in recent weeks due to the improvements in futures prices, but also due...
Market Commentary: CBOT Gains to Close Week; Wheat Firms on Bullish News
The CBOT was mostly higher to end a mostly bearish week with wheat leading the way on several mildly bullish developments. Wheat futures saw price-supportive development in the IGC’s lower 2024/25 global ending stocks forecast, dryness in the U.S. Southern Plains, and smaller Russian 2024...
CFTC COT Report Analysis
Based on futures’ price action late last week and early this week, one would be expecting funds to have been net sellers in the major ag commodities, and that’s exactly what happened. Funds expanded their short soybean position by some 30,000 contracts, making it a new five-year low...
Cattle on Feed Report: Placements and Marketings Dropped Sharply
USDA released the monthly Cattle on Feed report today. Total inventory, placements and marketings all came in lower than the pre-report estimates, though total inventory was at the same volume or higher than last year for the seventh consecutive month. Placements came in well below the average...
Summary of Futures
May 24 Corn closed at $4.335/bushel, up $0.0675 from yesterday's close. Jul 24 Wheat closed at $5.6675/bushel, up $0.1375 from yesterday's close. May 24 Soybeans closed at $11.505/bushel, up $0.1625 from yesterday's close. Jul 24 Soymeal closed at $343.2/short ton, up $5.8 fro...
Cattle on Feed
• U.S. Cattle on Feed (in feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head) totaled 11.8 million head on April 1, 2024 and was 1 percent above April 1, 2023. • Placements in feedlots during March totaled 1.75 million head, 12 percent below 2023. • Marketings of fed cattle during Marc...
Oilseed Highlights: Still Softly Descending
The Market Soybeans sharply rebounded on Friday after hitting a one month low the day before, likely on short covering. For the week, May soybeans lost 16.25 cents (-2 percent) and November soybeans gave up 15.25 cents. The latter new crop contract still carries an 11 cent premium over the soon...
FOB Prices and Freight Rate App (Updated 19 April)
Ocean Freight Comments - 19 April 2024 By Matt Herrington Spot dry-bulk freight markets remain weak amid dull April demand but rates are improving for May and June with improved interest in booking cargoes. Chinese demand for iron ore and coal has improved and bolstered capesize rates while gra...
Interactive Ocean Freight Rates (Updated 19 April)
Ocean Freight Comments - 19 April 2024 By Matt Herrington Spot dry-bulk freight markets remain weak amid dull April demand but rates are improving for May and June with improved interest in booking cargoes. Chinese demand for iron ore and coal has improved and bolstered capesize rates while gra...
Export Sales
Export Sales and Shipments for April 5-11, 2024 Wheat: Net sales reductions of 93,600 metric tons (MT) for 2023/2024 were down noticeably from the previous week and from the prior 4-week average. Export shipments of 487,800 MT were down 22 percent from the previous week, but unchanged fro...
Market Commentary: Looking for Market Movers
The bearishness continues as South America crops loom and Northern Hemisphere weather is stable. The impending flood of Argentine soymeal and soyoil onto the market sent the May soyoil contract to a new low. There was nothing in today’s weekly USDA Export Sales report to alter the...