A cargo ship is loaded with Brazilian soybeans bound for China. (Photo: Reuters/Paulo Whitaker)

Trump, citing U.S. farmers, slaps metal tariffs on Brazil, Argentina

Reading Time: 3 minutes Washington/Rio de Janeiro | Reuters — U.S. President Donald Trump ambushed Brazil and Argentina on Monday, announcing tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum imports from the two countries in a measure that shocked South American officials and left them scrambling for answers. In an early morning tweet, Trump said the tariffs, “effective immediately,” were necessary […] Read more


CBOT March 2020 corn with 10-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn futures firm on technical buying

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures firmed on Monday, edging up to their highest in nearly a month on a round of technical buying despite signs of poor demand, traders said. Soybean futures fell, with traders waiting for concrete signs of progress in trade negotiations between the U.S. and China before buying into a […] Read more

CME February 2020 lean hogs with 10-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures drop on supply glut

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell 2.4 per cent on Monday, weighed down by bearish supply concerns, traders said. “The hog market boils down to more of the same. Big supplies, record supplies,” said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based U.S. Commodities “With these trade talks still iffy, where are the Chinese? They […] Read more


Jason Shapiro at Grain World. (MarketsFarm photo by Glen Hallick)

Grain World: Geopolitics is back dominating global relations

Reading Time: 3 minutes Saskatoon | MarketsFarm — Geopolitics is again shaping the international scene, including China, Jason Shapiro explained here Thursday at the Grain World conference. Geopolitics, he said, resulted in catastrophic global wars and generated very little peace for close to a century. Shapiro, director of analysis for Geopolitical Futures — an Austin, Tex.-based international risk analysis […] Read more

CBOT March 2020 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: CBOT wheat surges to five-month high

Reading Time: 2 minutes Corrected, Nov. 30 — Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures exploded to a five-month high on Friday due to threats to global production and as fund scrambled to cover their short positions in the post-holiday market, traders said. The wheat rally gave support to Chicago corn futures, which hit a three-week high on the […] Read more



CBOT January 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy futures fall to two-month low

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures slid to a two-month low on Wednesday on technical selling and expectations that increased rains will benefit crops in rival shipper South America. Corn and wheat futures also fell as traders adjusted positions ahead of Thursday’s Thanksgiving holiday, when U.S. markets will close. The markets will reopen for […] Read more


CME December 2019 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle set contract high on winter storms

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures reached a contract high on Wednesday on expectations that wintry weather would hamper the movement of cattle to slaughterhouses. Two winter storms blasted parts of the United States, after parts of Colorado got up to 30 inches of snow on Tuesday. The storms could disrupt transportation and […] Read more

CBOT December 2019 corn (candlesticks) compared against January 2020 soybeans (green line). (Barchart)

CBOT weekly outlook: Soy, corn stuck waiting on trade news

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade remain in a holding pattern, waiting for concrete news on ongoing negotiations between the United States and China. Activity during the last week of November was slowing down as traders moved to the sidelines ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, with attention expected […] Read more