China and Egypt look set to duke it out for top spot on the world wheat import rankings in 2013. Frost and heavy rains shaved millions of tonnes off the Chinese wheat crop this year and traditional number one importer Egypt finally regained access to sufficient financial resources to resume wheat imports following two years […] Read more
Analysis: China, Egypt import tussle could reignite wheat market
Analysis: Options plays show most traders are bearish on beans
New-crop November soybean futures prices have been in a holding pattern lately on either side of $12.50 a bushel as market participants bide their time ahead of the 2013 crop’s most critical and rain-dependent developmental phase during the first half of August. But judging by the fact that there are nearly four times as many […] Read more
Short covering surge could boost U.S. wheat
The U.S. Department of Agriculture just upwardly revised U.S. wheat production prospects on the back of better-than-expected yield reports emerging from the ongoing U.S. harvest. But even as harvest progress continues to weigh on near-term market sentiment, wheat prices are at risk of pushing higher as global demand prospects pick up and jittery short-biased speculative […] Read more
Time to beef up on hogs versus cattle?
Reading Time: 3 minutes The lean hog market is approaching a well-defined seasonal bottom that usually occurs during the opening half of April, and a number of traders are gearing up to go long that commodity over the coming weeks. They hope to be in position ahead of any upturn in values fuelled by a drop in fresh meat […] Read more
After a bumper harvest in 2012, India poised to be a new wheat-export powerhouse
Surplus Government reserves now have reached 31 million tonnes, second only to China and three times the official target levels
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters / While most other major wheat growers around the world suffered from production setbacks in 2012 due to drought, India’s farmers had a banner year which has resulted in a glut of wheat supplies at state-run warehouses and export facilities. India’s state reserves of wheat have reached 31 million tonnes the highest level in […] Read moreU.S. meat producers may pare back output
U.S. meat Shipments hit a record in 2011 and look to be on course to better that total for 2012
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters/Despite nearly record-high feed prices, U.S. meat production has continued to trend higher in recent months, and the latest monthly statistics show that beef, pork and chicken output all remain above the five-year average. Brisk meat exports combined with strong domestic wholesale and retail prices have encouraged these high production levels, but a seasonal downturn […] Read moreHigher U.S. wheat plantings likely — and needed
STAGE SET Production problems haven’t left markets short yet but that could change if Australian growers continue to suffer from a lack of rainfall
Reading Time: 3 minutes Stubbornly high prices have served to keep U.S. wheat out of contention on the export market in recent months, but a broad jump in winter wheat acreage coupled with growing overseas demand could change that picture. It’s no surprise that farmers in top hard red wheat states such as Kansas are upping their acres this […] Read moreChinese buying could push soybeans over $20
The July-September quarter is traditionally a soft period for U.S. soybean exports as the world’s top buyers of the oilseed typically divert their buying interest to South American suppliers while the U.S. crop rounds out the growing season. But the shortage of supplies in Brazil and Argentina following this year’s drought in that region has […] Read more
Agribusiness Outlook Tied To Crop Prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes You know commodity trading conditions are tough when even firms that sit on both the buy and sell sides of a market still suffer hefty losses. Such was the case with 140-year-old agribusiness giant Cargill, which recently reported a 66-percent drop in earnings in the latest quarter over year-ago levels due to global economic uncertainty […] Read more
Bacon — Evolving From Daily Staple To Luxury Treat?
Reading Time: 3 minutes The recent royal wedding celebrations at London’s Buckingham Palace featured bacon sandwiches on the menu for the morning after the night before. The fact that bacon featured so prominently alongside other delicacies in such revered surroundings is quite fitting given that bacon prices are closing in on all-time highs and look set to continue pressing […] Read more
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