(Dave Bedard photo)

StatsCan confirms smaller canola acres, more wheat

Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers intend to seed more spring wheat and less canola in 2019, according to Statistics Canada survey results released Wednesday. Additional shifts are also likely in subsequent reports, as dry conditions in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan may alter some intentions. Statistics Canada forecast canola area for 2019 at 21.3 million acres, which […] Read more



ICE May 2019 canola with Bollinger (20,2) bands, a gauge of market volatility. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Little to sustain canola bids in bear market

Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Although there will be some bounces in ICE canola futures, there is very little currently to sustain any increases in bids, according to Errol Anderson of ProMarket Communications. While the market has stabilized for the time being, it’s technically oversold, Anderson said. The market can rebound $5-$10 per tonne, he said, but it’s […] Read more

ICE March 2019 canola futures with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola grinding lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes ICE Futures canola contracts held relatively steady during the week ended Wednesday, with a softer tone in old-crop contracts and strength in new-crop months. The general trend is likely pointed lower in the near future, with any developments in trade talks between the U.S. and China likely to provide some direction. “The market is awaiting […] Read more


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Crude oil and canola part company, for now

Reading Time: 2 minutes CNS Canada — The symbiotic relationship that crude oil and canola used to enjoy seems to have hit a snag. Chart structures have proven that crude prices have pushed and pulled canola up and down in recent years. However, since the start of 2018, the gains enjoyed by crude oil have failed to lift canola. […] Read more



A canola field in northwestern Saskatchewan on Oct. 5, 2016 after the area was blanketed by wet snow.  (Lisa Guenther photo)

StatsCan data confirm tight canola supplies

Reading Time: 3 minutes CNS Canada — Grain and oilseed stocks data released Friday from Statistics Canada were bullish for canola and wheat — though analysts suggest the effects of the report on the market may be short-lived. Figures for barley, lentils and peas were above year-ago levels, but movements in those markets are more likely be driven by […] Read more

"If you find yourself constantly complaining about cash prices, that’s a pretty good sign that what you’re doing isn’t working." – Errol Anderson

Global grain markets and the global downturn

There’s no major rebound in sight for grain markets, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still take charge of your own fate

Reading Time: 8 minutes There’s less and less doubt about it. What we’re currently facing is a global recession in commodities of all types. Right now the world has plenty of potash, copper, oil, gold and grain. Producers of all types have responded to the extremely strong price signals they’ve been receiving lately and have grown their productivity. That’s […] Read more


"As a good marketer, you really need to strip the emotions out of the equation and be analytical, calm and clear headed, with ice water in your veins." – Errol Anderson

Could we see a Lehman Brothers-style collapse in grain markets?

There's a big difference to market noise and market reality. We ask Errol Anderson, is it all just talk?

Reading Time: 6 minutes At the heart of the issue is something known as a letter of credit, or LOC. These are essentially promissory notes that are backed by a financial institution with credibility, and their purpose is to ensure the money is there. Now there’s a question hanging over global commodity markets in the form of the Anglo-Swiss […] Read more

"Demand is everything right now, and it’s not strong. I really think that 2016 is shaping up to be a battleground year. That’s going to keep commodities of all types, including grains, under a lot of price pressure." – Errol Anderson

2016 could be a ‘battleground year’ for commodity prices

A ‘battleground year’ is how analyst Errol Anderson sees 2016. Prices will be profitable… sometimes…but success will only come to producers who rein in their emotions

Reading Time: 8 minutes It isn’t only agriculture. China has become the world’s largest market for an incredibly long list of commodities. Consider the manufacturing industry, for example, where the Chinese generate roughly half of global demand — they use 54 per cent of global aluminum production, 50 per cent of nickel, 48 per cent of copper and 46 […] Read more