Reading Time: 2 minutes As developments around the COVID-19 coronavirus change rapidly, I can’t help but speculate on the longer-term effects of it. By now, much has been made of the economic impact it — alongside the Saudi Arabia-Russia oil trade war — will have on global economies. While it’s guesswork to estimate the total impact without knowing how […] Read more
Fraser: What will be the long-term impact of COVID-19?
Analysis: A pandemic runs the risk of driving nations further apart
Ag chem industry watching COVID-19’s spread
Reading Time: 3 minutes MarketsFarm –– China is a major producer of agricultural chemicals — and disruptions to production would have a ripple effect on North American supplies of crop protection inputs, such as herbicides and insecticides. Plant closures and transportation issues due to the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus are being followed closely, but the Canadian industry is reportedly […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, wheat, corn up on economic stimulus hopes
Recovery continues off COVID-19-related pressure
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean futures rose on Tuesday on technical buying and expectations for a co-ordinated global effort to offset the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates in an emergency move designed to shield the world’s largest economy from the COVID-19 virus, whose global […] Read more
CBOT weekly outlook: Coronavirus, other factors grip markets
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — As fears of a worldwide pandemic of the COVID-19 coronavirus increase, markets, including the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), are seen to have been taking a beating. “The perception is, it’s going to get worse, that trade is going to struggle,” said Steve Georgy, president of Allendale Inc. at Fort McHenry, Ill., analogizing […] Read more
Coronavirus stalls talks with China on canola ban
Officials 'not in position to pursue technical discussions,' Bibeau says
Reading Time: 2 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — The coronavirus outbreak has stalled talks between Canada and China about Beijing’s decision to block Canadian canola seed shipments, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said Friday. China, angry at Canada’s detention of a top Huawei Technologies executive in December 2018, blocked all imports of canola seed last March on the grounds they […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle rise on broad commodity strength
Nearby hogs down on weak cash values
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Wednesday, bouncing off a four-month low on bargain buying along with broad-based strength in equity and commodity markets as fears subsided about the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in China. The benchmark April live cattle futures contract on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
