CBOT May 2021 corn with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Nearby corn futures firm as USDA reports big sales to China

CBOT May soybeans, wheat also up

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures edged higher in actively traded nearby contracts on Tuesday on strong export demand after the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the largest sales to China since January. Soybean futures were mixed, with nearby prices rising on concerns about South American harvest weather and spillover support from higher spot […] Read more


CME June 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up on tightening hog supplies, strong pork demand

CME live cattle futures mixed

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures were mostly higher on Tuesday on lofty pork prices, tightening hog supplies and hopes for improved meat demand as economies begin to fully re-open after coronavirus pandemic shutdowns. Hog supplies have tightened following liquidation of the U.S. sow herd last year and some disease-related U.S. […] Read more

File photo of a combine harvesting a wheat crop in Ukraine. (SergBob/iStock/Getty Images)

Demand from China puts Ukraine barley above top-end milling wheat

Reading Time: < 1 minute Kyiv | Reuters — Prices for Ukrainian-origin barley from this year’s harvest have exceeded those of high quality milling wheat due to strong demand from China, analysts at APK-Inform said on Friday. Forward contract prices for 2021 harvest barley stood at $220-$230 a tonne c.p.t. (carriage paid to) Black Sea June-July delivery, while high-quality milling […] Read more


CME June 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs firm as U.S. stimulus plan fuels optimism

Relief bill expected to lift meat demand

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures firmed on Monday, recovering from a seven-week low hit last week, on optimism that the US$1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill will spur the U.S. economy and bolster demand for meat, traders said. CME April live cattle futures settled up 0.325 cent at 119.35 cents/lb., […] Read more

CME April 2021 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures take a breather

April live cattle up, but well down off highs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures consolidated on Friday as the market caught its breath after pulling back from contract highs reached last week. Strong demand for U.S. pork from China recently supported hog futures, as China is battling the fatal pig disease African swine fever, which increased its need […] Read more


CME April 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Pork export sales rise, profit-taking hits hog futures

Cattle futures down while beef exports up

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended lower on Thursday as profit-taking overshadowed strong U.S. export demand, analysts said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a weekly report, said weekly net U.S. pork export sales were 59,600 tonnes for 2021, up 68 per cent from the prior four-week average. Weekly export […] Read more

CME April 2021 lean hogs with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up on new swine fever outbreak in China

April live cattle down, feeders up

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures jumped on Wednesday as China reported a new outbreak of a deadly pig disease, raising expectations that Chinese importers could increase U.S. purchases. China’s farm ministry confirmed African swine fever in piglets being illegally transported through Funing county in the southwestern province of Yunnan. The […] Read more


CBOT May 2021 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures consolidate after gains

Excess rain in Brazil underpins soy, corn futures

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures fell on Wednesday as the markets consolidated after rallying in the previous session. Strength in the U.S. dollar weighed on prices, analysts said, because a firm dollar makes U.S. farm products less attractive to importers (all figures US$). For soybeans, there was a “lack of fresh […] Read more

CME April 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs down off recent gains

April live cattle end up off five-week low

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures dropped 2.7 per cent on Tuesday as the market retreated from recent surges. Profit-taking has weighed on prices since most-active April hog futures reached a life-of-contract high on Thursday. Still, traders said robust Chinese demand for pork imports is underpinning the futures market. Traders are […] Read more