Fresh off a fifty basis-point cut by the Federal Reserve in the U.S. on March 4, 2020, the Bank of Canada lowered its key rate by the same amount from 1.75 per cent to 1.25 per cent. In a written statement the Bank of Canada said, “As the situation evolves, the Governing Council stands ready... Read More
Category: Markets
The oat market once again appears headed for a burdensome supply this fall, as strong prices through much of the winter have led growers to pencil more oats into their seeding plans for 2020. New crop prices have started dropping in recent weeks, but many growers on the eastern side of the Canadian Prairies signed... Read More
If you're looking for good news, you may not find it in the cattle markets this week. Mounting concerns over the spread of coronavirus and the global economy are starting to play a significant role. Anne Wasko of the Gateway Livestock Exchange is considering this a black swan event akin to the fire in Kansas... Read More
Japan has closed all schools for a month, Romanians are facing empty supermarket shelves, and some firms in England have asked staff to work from home. The fear of coronavirus is spreading, and it's spreading into the commodity markets. "Traders and markets caught obviously the fear of the virus," says Pro Farmer policy analyst Jim... Read More
Grain markets ended the third week of February mixed, with the wheat complex gaining ground that was lost last week while corn and oilseeds had a red week. The latter was a function of larger acres estimated by the USDA at their annual Ag Outlook conference in Washington. While the market was looking for more... Read More
Fast forward 20 years to the year 2040. What will the world look like from a geopolitical perspective? The U.S. and China will still be locked in a "strategic competition" of some form says Jacob Shapiro, director of analysis for Geopolitical Futures, a Texas-based company that provides analysis on geopolitical trends. "I don't see a... Read More
Grain markets didn’t find a lot of love from traders on Valentine’s Day as a red day pushed most of the complex lower for the week. Only soybeans were able to find some gains on the thinking that China will be buying more soybeans now that the Phase One trade war deal is in effect.... Read More
The China-U.S. mega trade deal promising big things for ag product sales has seen some of its momentum lost to the coronavirus outbreak. "It makes things way more complicated," says Don Close, a senior analyst at RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness. "As soon as that agreement was signed, U.S. markets started to sell off, and have... Read More
Grain markets closed the past week mostly higher as short-covering and bargain buying helped stop the slide seen since the U.S.-China Phase One trade deal was signed. The buying comes ahead of the February WASDE report, published on Tuesday, February 11th but the big cloud of uncertainty that remains over both grain and broader markets... Read More
Feed costs are one of the variables that cattle feeders have to keep a close eye on, no matter the year. Early indications for this year, at least, look to be feeder-friendly. The 2019 corn crop faced very adverse conditions and still came out with a respectable yield. United States Department of Agriculture and many... Read More