Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean and wheat futures rose on Friday, supported by a pick-up in Chinese demand for U.S. commodities, traders said. But corn closed lower, giving up early gains with traders shrugging off a massive sale to China to focus on expectations for a weakened ethanol market as crude […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat, soy rise after export deals
Corn sags on ethanol woes

CBOT weekly outlook: Bargain buying lifts some commodities
MarketsFarm — Despite an ever-changing economic environment due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, ag commodity prices may be sheltered from the worst bearish sentiments. “Global import businesses have taken off this week due to lower commodity prices,” said Terry Reilly of Futures International in Chicago. “If we do see an economic slowdown, we’ll probably see […] Read more

Impacts on ag expected as COVID-19 rocks markets
Farmers urged to manage expenses
Stocks continuing to plunge during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic have left agricultural producers in Canada concerned about the potential impact. Thursday marked the biggest drop in Canadian stocks in 80 years, highlighted by many economists warning the country is on the brink of recession. Beyond growing fears of COVID-19’s economic impact, oil and gas stocks […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, soy drop to six-month lows
Wider markets sell-off continues
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell to six-month lows on Thursday as another rout on Wall Street underscored uncertainty about economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic as well as demand for agricultural commodities, analysts said. Wheat futures followed the weak trend. Chicago Board of Trade May corn settled down 8-3/4 cents […] Read more

CBOT weekly outlook: Markets focused on virus, oil prices, stocks
MarketsFarm — From where Steve Georgy sits, commodity markets such as the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) are currently focused on only three things. One is the COVID-19 coronavirus — specifically, how the global outbreak affects commodity markets, especially if it results in “the slowing down the movement of grain, the slowing down the movement […] Read more

Oil price war spells bad news for Canada, global market
MarketsFarm — Benchmark crude oil prices plummeted 30 per cent on Monday, after a price war erupted between Saudi Arabia and Russia. While that will mean lower prices at the pumps for consumers, the price war will not bode well for the Canadian economy, according to a pair of industry experts. “We already had the […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy, wheat, corn up on economic stimulus hopes
Recovery continues off COVID-19-related pressure
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures rose on Tuesday on technical buying and expectations for a co-ordinated global effort to offset the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an emergency move designed to shield the world’s largest economy from the COVID-19 virus, whose global […] Read more

CN starts calling back laid-off employees
"Network recovery... will take several weeks"
Montreal | Reuters — Canadian National Railway has started calling back many of the 450 workers it laid off earlier this month in Eastern Canada, when blockades crippled operations on strategic rail lines, according to a company email sent to customers Friday. Earlier this week, police made 10 arrests and cleared a blockade in eastern […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy, wheat extend losing streaks
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Tuesday for the sixth day in a row, with investors waiting for signs of the pickup in Chinese demand promised when Washington and Beijing signed the Phase One trade deal on Jan. 15, traders said. Wheat futures also drifted lower, their third straight day of losses, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans hit six-week low as China virus sparks selling
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures sank to their lowest level in more than six weeks on Friday as fears over the coronavirus spreading from China triggered broad-based selling. Corn and wheat futures also weakened as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a second U.S. case of the new virus in […] Read more