Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose more than four per cent on Wednesday and touched a 2-1/2-month high as rising global cash prices and rumours of Chinese purchases triggered a round of speculative buying and short-covering, traders and analysts said. Soybean and corn futures also rose despite outlooks for generally favourable weather and […] Read more
U.S. grains: CBOT wheat highest since April
Spec buying, export talk lift September wheat; other crops follow
China reports lumpy skin disease outbreaks in cattle
Beijing | Reuters — China is facing outbreaks of a debilitating virus in cattle that causes a condition called lumpy skin disease, following an incident on a farm in the eastern province of Zhejiang this week, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday. On its website, the ministry of agriculture and rural affairs said five cases […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy up after crop ratings dip
Corn sags despite sale to China
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures edged higher on Tuesday after weekly crop condition ratings declined, but improving weather in the Midwest crop belt kept a lid on rallies by backing expectations for large harvests, traders said. Corn closed lower, shrugging off news of a massive Chinese purchase of U.S. corn. Wheat firmed, buoyed […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy down as weather favours yield prospects
Trade monitoring Northern Hemisphere wheat crops
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell more than two per cent on Monday, nearing a two-week low as Midwest weather forecasts turned milder for the crop’s key growth phase this month, raising the potential for a large harvest, analysts said. The rosy weather outlook also pushed soybean futures lower, and wheat followed the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs up on pork demand, export optimism
Feeder cattle up on lower corn prices
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose on Monday on signs of improving demand for pork products and optimism about export demand from China as the Asian country struggles with renewed outbreaks of a hog disease, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August lean hog futures settled up 1.4 cents at 51.275 cents/lb., after […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures weaken, cattle futures advance
Cattle values rise as corn values drop
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures on Friday pulled back from a rally the previous session as large supplies and doubts about Chinese imports weighed on the market, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August lean hog futures settled down 0.35 cent at 49.875 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract has rebounded slightly since […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soybeans drop on favourable weather
Chicago wheat jumps
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures prices fell on Friday on expectations for beneficial rains in crop-growing areas and as President Donald Trump said the country’s relationship with trading partner China was severely damaged. A monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report pegged America’s harvests below analysts’ expectations, although the estimates were […] Read more
China’s slower meat imports seen worsening its protein shortage
Beijing | Reuters — China’s dwindling pace of meat imports, thanks to its tough measures against coronavirus contamination, will provide further support for prices already buoyed by a severe shortage of pork, analysts said. Purchases of pork and other meats have soared this year after domestic production shrank 30 per cent following an outbreak of […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Trade looks to weather for support
MarketsFarm — Commodities on the Chicago Board of Trade have been supported by dry growing conditions in key regions of the United States, but remain largely rangebound. “It’s been hot and dry, but it’s tough to pin your hopes on a bull market because sooner or later it will rain,” said Scott Capinegro of Barrington […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans hit four-month high on hot, dry weather
CBOT corn futures near 3-1/2-month peak
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures rose on Monday as expectations for unfavourably hot, dry weather increased concerns over the crops, after the federal government said last week that U.S. farmers planted fewer acres than expected. Soybeans touched a four-month high and corn traded near last week’s 3-1/2-month peak as the markets […] Read more