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
Coronavirus disrupts China meat imports, food supplies
Swine fever has created pork shortage
U.S. grains: Corn, wheat slide on strong dollar, export uncertainty
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat and corn futures fell on Thursday as a strengthening dollar dampened U.S. export prospects and traders continued to wait for signs of China buying agricultural goods, analysts said. Soybean futures eked out a modest advance. Chicago Board of Trade March corn settled down 1-1/2 cents at $3.79-1/4 per bushel […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs limit up on Tyson comment, short-covering
Cattle futures follow hogs higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures surged their daily three-cent limit on Thursday after comments from a Tyson Foods executive about pork demand from China ignited a wave of buying including short-covering, traders said. Tyson is competing with other global companies to supply meat to China, the world’s largest pork consumer, as an […] Read more
Canada, China both ‘furious’ over Huawei row, envoy says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Canada and China are both “furious” over the case of a Huawei executive detained in Canada in 2018 and its aftermath, but there are signs the two sides can hold constructive talks, the Canadian ambassador to Beijing said Wednesday. Canadian police picked up Huawei Technologies chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs slide on export concerns
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog and cattle futures fell on Wednesday on worries that the coronavirus outbreak would stall U.S. exports of pork and beef into China, traders said. Wall Street equity markets soared on reports that scientists were developing a vaccine for the deadly virus. But hog and cattle futures on the Chicago […] Read more
ICE weekly outlook: Canola correcting off lows
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — The ICE Futures canola market fell sharply over the last half of January but have turned the corner during the first few trading days of February. “I think we have room for some corrective gains,” MarketsFarm Pro analyst Mike Jubinville said of the recovery in canola. The March contract hit a session low […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Corn, soybeans under pressure
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Market participants on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) are waiting to see how China’s novel coronavirus outbreak will impact commodity demand and the global economy. As of Wednesday, confirmed cases neared 25,000 and the death toll was close to 500. In the midst of dealing with the mounting public health crisis, China […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn end higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures firmed on Tuesday, supported by a broad rebound in equity markets following losses sparked by a coronavirus outbreak in China, analysts said. Worries about harvest delays in Brazil’s soybean areas added support. Chicago Board of Trade March soybeans settled up 2-1/2 cents at $8.79-1/2 per bushel, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs, live cattle end mostly lower
Trade awaits direction from cash cattle market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures closed mostly lower on Tuesday on concerns about a heavy slaughter pace coupled with uncertainty about export demand from China, the world’s biggest pork consumer, traders said. The weak tone underscored fears that the coronavirus outbreak in China could reduce export demand for pork at a time of […] Read more
Virus fears weigh on global shipping sector
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Global shipping rates continue to decline, hitting record lows in some cases, amid declining demand and concerns over the coronavirus outbreak in China. The Baltic Dry Index (BDI), compiled by the London-based Baltic Exchange, provides an assessment of the price of moving major raw materials by sea. The BDI has fallen for 13 […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
