CNS Canada — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade trended down over the past two weeks, testing some contract lows in the process. While the potential for a short-covering bounce is there, further losses are also a distinct possibility, depending on what happens in outside energy markets. “Unless we see an […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Weak soybeans, corn watch energy, USDA for direction
U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat rise in short-covering bounce
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. grain and soybean futures rebounded from early-session losses on Wednesday in a technical short-covering bounce as investors squared positions ahead of a U.S. Department of Agriculture crop report due early next week. Corn and wheat futures posted fresh contract lows in nearly all months and soybeans hit a 6-1/2-week low […] Read more
Monsanto increases job cuts as corn, chemical sales slump
Reuters — Monsanto said a souring farm economy and currency woes will push its 2016 earnings to the lower end of expectations, while a cost-cutting drive will lead the world’s largest seed company to slash more jobs. Low commodity prices also should lead to more consolidation in the agricultural sector, CEO Hugh Grant said, about […] Read more
U.S. grain shippers await El Nino dryness after unseasonable flood
Chicago | Reuters –– The clear Midwestern skies that El Nino cycles typically bring could be a boon to the U.S. heartland this spring, after recent record rain levels soaked the region, swamping farmland and disrupting grain export shipments on swollen rivers. Farm fields across the Midwest are saturated, according to the U.S. Department of […] Read more
U.S. grains: Short-covering spurs slight gains in corn, soy, wheat
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat, corn and soybean futures edged higher on Tuesday as investors used the previous session’s sharp declines to take profits on bearish bets they had placed on the commodities sector, traders said. But concerns about a weaker global economy cutting into demand limited buying and all three commodities closed below […] Read more
El Nino seen declining, to return to neutral by Q2
Sydney | Reuters — The 2015-16 El Nino weather event, one of the three strongest in the past 50 years, has peaked in recent weeks and will likely return to “ENSO neutral” by the second quarter of this year, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said on Tuesday. The El Nino phenomenon is driven by warm […] Read more
Argentine soy sales after tax cut disappoint government
Buenos Aires | Reuters — Argentina’s centre-right government said Monday it was disappointed by the volume of soy stocks sold by farmers in the three weeks since it reduced the tax on soybean exports. President Mauricio Macri cut the tax on shipments of soybeans, the country’s main cash crop, from 35 per cent to 30 […] Read more
Dreyfus owner pregnant, plans maternity leave
Paris | Reuters — Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, majority owner and chairwoman of global trading house Louis Dreyfus Commodities, is pregnant with twins and plans to take short maternity leave following the birth due in early April, the company said. Louis-Dreyfus, 53, will continue as chair of the group’s supervisory board until the birth of the twin […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat, soybeans sag to start 2016
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn, wheat and soybean futures fell sharply on Monday as concerns about economic weakness in China and the dollar’s strength raised concerns about global demand for U.S. commodities, traders said. Corn sank to its lowest level in four months while wheat hit a low not seen since […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy and grains post annual declines
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Thursday as traders eyed forecasts for much-needed rains in Brazil, while corn and wheat ended narrowly mixed in light year-end trading. All three commodities posted annual declines for 2015. Markets will be closed on Friday for the New Year’s Day holiday. “Going into the weekend with […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
