Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell 2.1 per cent on Monday, hitting their lowest since Nov. 8, as a lack of consensus at a meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders cooled hopes of Washington and Beijing resolving a trade dispute that has disrupted U.S. soybean exports to China. Wheat prices also fell sharply, shedding 1.7 […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy drops as trade concerns rise

U.S. grains: Soybeans up after Trump comments on China, trade
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures ended higher on Friday after rebounding on President Donald Trump’s comments that his administration may not have to impose further tariffs on China, the world’s biggest soybean buyer. Wheat added to early advances and corn pared losses after the comments. Trump has imposed tariffs on $250 billion of […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans end firm as hopes build for China talks
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures firmed on Thursday, supported by renewed optimism that the U.S. and China, the world’s largest soybean buyer, will resume trade talks. Chicago Board of Trade January soybeans settled up 5-1/4 cents at $8.88-3/4 per bushel after reaching $8.97-1/2, the contract’s highest since Nov. 2 (all figures US$). CBOT […] Read more

Canada to work with China on trade deal despite USMCA clause, Trudeau says
Singapore | Reuters — Canada and China will continue to work together toward an “eventual” free trade deal, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday. This is despite the country being a signatory to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which specifies that if one of its partners enters a free trade deal […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans higher on slow harvest pace
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures rose on Wednesday on a slower-than-expected harvest pace and news of fresh export sales, although plentiful global supplies kept a lid on the market, analysts said. Wheat futures fell on sluggish export demand while corn futures ended narrowly mixed. Chicago Board of Trade January soybean futures settled up […] Read more

EU clear to start talks to increase U.S. beef imports
Brussels | Reuters — European Union countries agreed on Friday to allow negotiations to start with Washington on increasing U.S. beef imports into Europe, in a move that could ease transatlantic trade tensions. The Commission, which negotiates on behalf of the 28 EU nations, said it would open formal talks in the coming days on […] Read more

U.S. Senate will not vote on USMCA in 2018, McConnell says
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Senate’s top Republican said on Tuesday that senators will not vote to approve a revised North American trade pact in 2018, leaving the issue to the next Congress. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg Television that the Senate will not have time to take up the new United […] Read more
World crop briefs: China seeks cuts to soy in feed
CNS Canada — The China Feed Industry Association is proposing soybean meal in hog rations be reduced, to offset rising costs and reduced supplies caused by the U.S.-China trade war. China imported about 87 per cent of its soybean needs last year and one-third of that came from the U.S., according to a report in […] Read more

Trump raises ethanol use in gasoline, appeases farmers ahead of elections
Washington | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump launched an effort on Tuesday to increase ethanol use in the nation’s gasoline pool, delivering a long-sought political victory to the nation’s Farm Belt and angering oil refiners ahead of November’s congressional elections. Trump announced the lifting of a ban on summer sales of gasoline blended with […] Read more

Trade pact clause seen deterring China trade deals with Canada, Mexico
Washington | Reuters — China’s hopes of negotiating a free trade pact with Canada or Mexico were dealt a sharp setback by a provision deep in the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement that aims to forbid such deals with “non-market” countries, trade experts said on Tuesday. The provision specifies that if one of the current North […] Read more