Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed modestly higher on Wednesday, extending a five-week rally tied to expectations of strong prices this week for cattle in the cash market, traders said. “Cash is $1-$2 higher every week, better than what people anticipated,” said Scott Varilek, a broker at Kooima and Kaemingk Commodities Inc. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle climb on hopes for higher cash trade
U.S. grains: Soy, corn sag on trade uncertainty, harvest progress
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Wednesday on uncertainty surrounding the particulars of U.S.-China trade talks, along with pressure from the expanding Midwest harvest, analysts said. Wheat futures bucked the weak trend, climbing on technical buying and news that Egypt, a top global importer, bought 405,000 tonnes of wheat in […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy decline as China trade uncertainty lingers
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures closed lower on Tuesday on technical selling and seasonal pressure from the expanding U.S. harvest, along with uncertainty about the terms of a U.S.-China trade pact announced last month, analysts said. Wheat followed the weaker trend, with all three markets retreating from multi-month highs established a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs limit up on optimism for Chinese pork demand
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
Trump’s hailing of Chinese farm purchases seen as ‘meaningless’
Beijing | Reuters — China is still a long way from forking out US$50 billion for farm goods from the United States, agriculture industry analysts said on Monday, cautioning that getting there is contingent on removing substantial technical and political hurdles. Outlining the first phase of a deal to end a trade war with China, […] Read more
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. farmers cheered by apparent trade truce
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers cheered the Trump administration’s announcement of a potentially dramatic increase in U.S. agricultural sales to China on Friday but warned they needed to see a follow-through of actual purchases. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the agricultural purchases could scale up to $40 billion-$50 billion annually as part of a […] 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: Hogs slip despite record-large pork sales to China
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures sagged on Thursday as the confirmation of record-large weekly pork export sales to China failed to impress traders who have been expecting a surge in demand for months. Uncertainty about when the pork will be shipped to China also kept a lid on gains, traders said. The […] Read more
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