Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures eased as much as one per cent on Thursday, weighed down by technical selling and steady deals in cash markets in the southern Plains, traders and analysts said. Live cattle futures weakened for the fourth straight session on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. The market had climbed to life-of-contract […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle ease on technical selling after steady cash sales
As loans and aid dry up, U.S. farmers face fresh challenge from shutdown
Reading Time: 3 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. farmers, already battered by the U.S.-China trade war, are facing increasing anxiety as the partial government shutdown nears the two-week mark, leaving crucial aid and loan payments in limbo. The shutdown has blocked assistance for many farmers, who at this time of year apply for federal loans as they pay […] Read more
Cargill’s net earnings down as trade fight bites
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Grains trader Cargill on Thursday reported a 20 per cent drop in its fiscal second-quarter 2019 net earnings, as global trade tensions hit the bottom line along with challenges in the Chinese hog sector and a struggling U.S. dairy business. Three of the company’s four business units reported results that were […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat rises on technical bounce, export prospects
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose about 1.4 per cent on Thursday, reaching a one-week high on a technical rebound from multi-month lows and optimism about U.S. export prospects, analysts said. Soybeans hit a two-week top on worries about declining Brazilian crop prospects and rumours of Chinese buying interest, and corn followed the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs jump on hopes of pork exports to China
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. lean hog futures jumped to a nearly two-week high on Wednesday on speculation that exports of U.S. pork to China will rise in the coming months, traders and analysts said. Representatives from the U.S. and China were negotiating to end the trade war between the world’s biggest economies that has […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Soybeans wait on China news
Reading Time: < 1 minute CNS Canada — Soybean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade started 2019 on a firm note, bouncing higher on rumours of fresh Chinese buying interest. However, with the U.S. government still in partial shutdown mode, confirmation of that business was lacking and additional advances remain questionable. “We’re basically buying the rumour at this point,” […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola waits for U.S. shutdown to end
Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The ICE Futures canola market, like its fellow commodity markets, currently sits at the mercy of the U.S. government shutdown, according to one analyst. “It all has to do with the government shutdown in the States. Soybeans keep on rallying, than they lose ground towards the end of the session, because how […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy up on crop stress in Brazil, hopes for China talks
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures advanced to a near two-week high on Wednesday on declining yield prospects in Brazil and optimism about U.S. trade relations with top global soy buyer China, traders said. Wheat futures rose, rebounding from multi-month lows on short-covering and concerns about excessive rains in Argentina, while corn finished modestly […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat eases in thin holiday trade
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell more than one per cent on Monday in thin, technically driven trade, brokers said, but still posted a yearly gain of nearly 18 per cent. U.S. soybean futures ended lower, retreating from early advances tied to signs of thawing trade tension between Washington and top global soy […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle weaken on profit-taking, hogs firmer
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures finished slightly lower on Monday as traders locked in profits in end-of-year position squaring, after prices earlier touched contract highs, traders said. Lean hog futures were mostly higher, buoyed by short-covering and position squaring on the final trading day of the month, quarter and year. Cattle futures […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
