Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters – Agricultural merchant Bunge Ltd warned on Wednesday of a drop in annual profits due to mounting challenges to its grain trading and processing business from the U.S.-China trade war and a fatal pig disease in Asia, sending shares down more than 4 percent. The company reported better-than-expected third-quarter profits, driven by higher margins […] Read more
Bunge shares slide as China trade war, pig disease upset exports
Big Ag wants a cut of booming fake-meat market
Reading Time: 4 minutes Winnipeg/Chicago | Reuters — Bunge, one the world’s biggest grain traders, recently disclosed the 1.6 per cent stake it had purchased in the fast-growing fake-meat startup Beyond Meat. The play looked smart after the stock surged more than 250 per cent since the faux burger and sausage maker’s initial public offering in May. Indeed, Beyond […] Read more
Bunge CEO looks to avoid ‘stroke-of-the-pen’ risk in ongoing trade war
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — A year removed from a losing bet that the U.S.-China trade war would be promptly resolved, global grains trader Bunge is facing an even more uncertain business environment, with a new CEO determined not to get burned again. Gregory Heckman, who joined Bunge’s board late last year and took on the […] Read more
Bunge posts profit on South America, gain from Beyond Meat investment
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Agricultural commodities trader Bunge Ltd swung to a profit in the second quarter from a year-ago loss, helped by improved results at its South American operations. Bunge also reported an unrealized gain from the company’s stake in Beyond Meat Inc, meaning it could profit from the plant-based burger venture if it sells its nearly […] Read more
Major grain traders face one-two punch from U.S. floods, trade war
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Severe U.S. weather likely dented earnings for large grain companies including Archer Daniels Midland and Bunge for a second straight quarter, adding to headwinds from a still-unresolved U.S.-China trade war, analysts and economists said. ADM and Bunge, as well as peers Cargill and Louis Dreyfus, known as the ABCD quartet of […] Read more
New Bunge CEO looks to downsize company before growing again
Reading Time: < 1 minute New York | Reuters — The new chief executive of oilseed processor Bunge said Wednesday that the company needs to downsize in the short term and earn “the right to grow again,” by avoiding costly mistakes and operating with financial discipline. “We’re going to let the numbers drive what should happen for us. First, we […] Read more
Bunge moves from regional to global operating model
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. agricultural commodities trader Bunge on Wednesday overhauled its global operations and named a new chief financial officer in the latest shake-up for the 200-year-old company hard hit by a years-long grain market downturn. The moves come as Bunge reported a stronger-than-expected first-quarter profit due to higher soy crush margins in […] Read more
Bunge names acting chief as new CEO
Reading Time: < 1 minute Reuters — Global grains trader Bunge on Thursday named Gregory Heckman as its chief executive officer, three months after he took the helm in an interim capacity. Heckman, a founding partner of private investment firm Flatwater Partners and the former chief executive of grains trader Gavilon Group, was appointed acting CEO in January after long-serving […] Read more
Grain trade regional tie-ups seen more likely over mega-deals
Reading Time: 2 minutes Paris | Reuters — The agricultural trading industry can expect more consolidation at a regional level in an effort to improve margins, but big deals between global merchants are becoming more difficult, Louis Dreyfus’ CEO said. Merchants have been grappling with lower profits from sourcing and shipping commodities such as grain and oilseeds, prompting cutbacks […] Read more
Bunge names acting CEO, cuts 2018 guidance
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Global grains trader Bunge appointed one of a slew of new board members as its acting CEO on Tuesday and cut its 2018 earnings forecast as the U.S.-China trade war battered soybean prices and devalued the company’s inventory in Brazil. Gregory Heckman, a founding partner of private investment firm Flatwater Partners and former […] Read more
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