Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures fell sharply for a second consecutive day on Tuesday as fears of a coronavirus pandemic stoked concerns about demand and slower global economic growth. Commodities funds liquidated more of their sizable long holdings in cattle after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle extend losses
COVID-19 coronavirus continues to rattle investors
U.S. grains: Corn, soy, wheat plunge on coronavirus worries
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soy futures tumbled on Monday as fears over the rapid spread of the coronavirus outbreak beyond China dragged down broader markets and underpinned the dollar. Technical selling further fuelled the drop, with corn and soybeans down nearly two per cent and wheat down almost three per cent. Corn […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs dive as coronavirus rattles markets
April live cattle, most feeder contracts close limit-down
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle and hog futures plunged on Monday as a surge of coronavirus cases beyond China stoked fears of U.S. meat export delays and slower global economic growth. The actively-traded April live cattle contract and nearly all feeder cattle contracts closed down by their daily trading limits, triggering expanded […] Read more
Bunge profit tops estimates on South American results
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Agricultural commodities trader Bunge reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday as rising crop prices boosted farmer sales in South America and swelled margins in its large agribusiness segment, sending shares up more than three per cent in pre-market trading. But uncertainty about global trade and demand for Bunge’s food and […] Read more
Coronavirus disrupts China meat imports, food supplies
Swine fever has created pork shortage
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Coronavirus is disrupting meat shipments to China as the country faces a shortage due to an outbreak of a fatal pig disease, Tyson Foods Inc and U.S. agricultural groups said on Thursday. An outbreak of African swine fever, which infects only pigs, has decimated China’s herd, pushing Chinese pork prices to […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn, soy shrug off benign USDA data
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybeans were steady to higher on Friday as investors looked past revised U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supply-and-demand projections and focused on improved prospects for exports to China, which is due to sign an interim trade deal with the United States next week. The USDA data, released during […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on firm cash market, harsh Plains weather
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures climbed to the loftiest levels of the week on Friday on expectations for higher cash cattle sales at Plains feedlot markets and as harsh weather in parts of the region increased stress on the animals. Some feedlot cattle in the central and northern Plains have traded at […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat up, corn and soy down awaiting USDA data
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures jumped on Thursday in a rebound from the market’s recent slide and soybeans and corn eased as investors squared positions ahead of an eagerly awaited U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) supply-and-demand report due on Friday. Rising global prices and forecasts for reduced U.S. plantings this season gave wheat […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs sink on big supply, premium to cash prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Thursday on ample supplies of hogs and a weak cash market, and as traders remain uncertain about how much additional pork China would buy as part of a Phase One trade deal with the United States. The actively traded Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) February contract […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans slide as rain boosts South American crops
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. soybean futures ended mostly lower on Tuesday on crop-boosting rains in South America and as investors squared positions ahead of a key U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop report due on Friday, although short-covering trimmed losses late in the session. Corn and wheat futures were mostly flat as late-session short […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
