The year 2020 has been popularly characterized as the year of meat alternatives. Media coverage of these new alternative products has been persistent, and mostly positive. COVID has reportedly made consumers more health conscious, and there is increased understanding about damage to the environment caused by livestock production. Yet meat production and exports appear to be doing just fine. Going into the holiday months of November and December, U.S. beef packers have ramped up production to record levels (see graph below). It might all be for not, but monthly data on beef in cold storage has tracked lower since this past summer relative to the recent past.
Meat alternatives likely have less appeal to populations that are only rec...
What You Need to Know Today: President Trump claimed the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was over, as both sides accused one another of violating the terms of the agreement. Commercial vessels are increasingly steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz as security risks escalate following Iran...
Key Takeaways: The CME Group is launching new 90 percent Lean Beef and 50 percent Lean Beef futures and options contracts in July. There are five key factors that must be present in physical markets and futures contract specifications for futures contracts to become successful. The two l...
