Dec. 18 –– Outside markets ended mixed on the week, with gold and the Dow Jones showing losses week over week, while crude oil showed gains.
Gold closed up $4 at $1,110.80 today, down $8.60 this week over last week.
The U.S. dollar ended up just over seven-100ths of a cent today, up 1.5 cents this past week. The Canadian dollar, meanwhile, closed down 0.36 cents at US93. cents, down half a cent this week.
The Dow Jones closed down 26 points at 10,359 today, down 125 points this week.
Read Also
Senft to step down as CEO of Seeds Canada
Barry Senft, the founding CEO of the five-year-old Seeds Canada organization is stepping down as of January 2026.
In the energy sector, crude oil closed up 71 cents a barrel at US$73.36, up $3.50 this week.
Corn closed mixed, down 0.4 cents to up 1.2 cents a bushel today, down 6.8 cents this week.
Beans closed down 5.4-10.2 cents a bushel today, down 23 cents this past week.
Wheat markets closed up six to 11.2 cents a bushel today. Minneapolis March futures closed up six cents a bushel today, down 6.8 cents this week.
Canola closed mixed, down $1.90 to up 10 cents per tonne today, down $7.50 per tonne this week.
Western barley is up $1 per tonne today, closing at $160, up $1 per tonne for the week.
Grains were under pressure from outside markets and a stronger U.S. dollar once again.
Beans ended lower, corn was mixed and wheat finished with gains. Wheat may have found support in an Informa report today that says U.S. wheat-seeded acres for next year are going to drop from 43.311 million to 39.446 million acres.
It’s more likely that there was very limited trading happening today, and what did trade was to the positive, so the markets closed showing gains on the day.
Canola struggled as beans pressured it lower, but a lower Canadian dollar helped minimize losses on the day and the week overall.
With next week being Christmas and a short trading week, I don’t expect any surprises as I am sure most traders will be happy to head into the holidays quietly, and that should keep trading to a minimum.
Enjoy the great weekend weather as you do your last-minute shopping and or Christmas partying, Drive safe!
That’s all for this week. — Brian
— Brian Wittal has spent over 27 years in the grain industry, including as an elevator manager and producer services representative for Alberta Wheat Pool, a regional sales manager for AgPro Grain and farm business representative for the Canadian Wheat Board, where he helped design some of the new pricing programs. He also operates his own company providing marketing and risk management advice for Prairie grain producers. Brian’s daily commentaries focus on how domestic and world market conditions affect you directly as grain producers.
Brian welcomes feedback and information on market conditions in your area, such as current offering prices, basis levels, trucking premiums and special crops contracts. Contact Brian today.
