Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures hit a two-week high on Tuesday, with the benchmark December contract rising its daily limit of three cents per pound on optimism about increasing pork demand from China, traders said. Food prices in China have soared, driven mainly by a sharp increase in pork values after deadly […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs limit up on optimism for Chinese pork demand
U.S. grains: Soybeans climb on weather worries
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures neared a four-month high on Monday, supported by fears that wintry weather over the weekend threatened Midwest production at a time of tightening U.S. soy supplies, analysts said. Wheat futures firmed on short-covering and worries about frosty temperatures in the U.S. Plains wheat belt, while corn ended steady, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures climb, led by firm cash trade
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose more than one per cent on Monday, with the benchmark December contract touching a 2-1/2-month top after cash cattle traded late last week about US$2/cwt higher than the previous week, traders said. The five-area average price for cash cattle last week was just above $109/cwt, according […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn jumps four per cent
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures surged more than four per cent on Friday while wheat and soybeans also firmed, buoyed by expectations for a partial U.S.-China trade deal and worries about wintry weather threatening crops in the Midwest, analysts said. Chicago Board of Trade December corn settled up 17-1/2 cents at $3.97-3/4 a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures up on trade progress, firm cash
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose more than one per cent on Friday, following broad strength in commodities tied to hopes for a U.S.-China trade deal, along with firm cash values for hogs and pork, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange benchmark December lean hog futures settled up 1.125 cents at 69.6 cents/lb. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs rise on China trade optimism
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed higher on Wednesday for a second straight session on hopes that U.S. trade talks with China, at a time of surging Chinese pork prices, could bolster U.S. pork exports, traders said. CME December lean hog futures settled up 2.075 cents at 69.475 cents/lb., just […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans up on trade optimism, Midwest weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures climbed to their highest level in nearly three months on Wednesday before paring gains, supported by optimism about increased Chinese purchases and fears that a winter storm in the upper U.S. Midwest could threaten late-maturing crops. Corn closed modestly lower and wheat was little changed, with both commodities […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn firm ahead of USDA report, frosty weather
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures inched higher on Monday on position-squaring ahead of a key monthly U.S. government crop report later this week and worries about forecasts for a freeze looming for the northwestern Corn Belt, traders said. Soybeans and wheat closed lower after a choppy session. Chicago Board of Trade December corn […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hogs limit down on U.S.-China trade jitters
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures fell their daily limit on Monday, declining for a fifth straight session as an aggressive slaughter pace and uncertainty about this week’s U.S. trade talks with China overshadowed rising pork cut-out values, traders said. The selloff came as U.S. and Chinese deputy trade negotiators launched a […] Read more
Snow to stall harvests for western Prairies, Montana
Chicago | Reuters — A weekend storm is poised to bring more than a foot (30.5 cm) of snow to parts of Montana and the Canadian Prairies, putting portions of the region’s spring wheat and canola crops at risk, a meteorologist said. Excessively wet conditions in the region this month have already slowed fieldwork and […] Read more