The Chicago Board of Trade building on May 28, 2018. (Harmantasdc/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

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


Oil is an “imperfect barometer” for how other commodities will perform, FCC’s J.P. Gervais says. (Screengrab from Farm Credit Canada video via YouTube)

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

CBOT May 2020 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

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


(Ablokhin/iStock Editorial/Getty Images)

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



CBOT May 2020 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

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

An idle CN train is parked next to an empty Via Rail commuter station at Trenton, Ont. on Feb. 25, 2020. (Photo: Reuters/Chris Helgren)

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


CBOT March 2020 wheat with five-, 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

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