After their brief reaction to last week’s September WASDE, grain and soy futures markets seem to once again be mired in their old trading ranges. There is little enthusiasm for pushing futures prices in either direction. Chicago wheat futures did push above their 50-day moving average yesterday, but they have retreated again today. Markets currently lack much of a story, either bullish or bearish, and traders are reluctant to establish new positions. They know that there are a significant number and variety of factors each of which could influence futures market price action. However, predicting whether or not they will do so is presently a guessing game, but apparently not a trading game. Markets have assumed a “wait and see&r...
What You Need to Know Today: The corn and soybean markets closed slightly higher in low-volume trade. The wheat market was mixed, with HRW continuing its downward trek on improved moisture. As expected, the bearish cattle on feed report drove down cattle prices and pulled hogs down with it. Mi...
Monday, 25 May is a U.S. holiday, and both the markets and our office will be closed. Please note that the next issue of Ag Perspectives will be published on Tuesday, 26 May. The WPI staff wishes everyone a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend...
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report was released today. The total number of cattle on feed in feedlots with 1,000 head or more capacity amounted to 11.6 million head, 102 percent of last year. Source: USDA, WPI Placements were up, but part of that is attributable to persistent drought c...
From WPI Consulting
Communicating importance of value-added products
Facing increasing pressure to quantify the value of export promotion efforts to investors, a U.S. industry organization retained WPI to develop a quantitative model that better communicated the importance of exports. The resulting model concluded that value-added meat exports contributed $0.45 cents per bushel to the price of corn, increasing support for that sector’s financial support of WPI’s client. In addition to serving the red meat industry with this type of analysis, WPI has generated similar deliverables for the U.S. soybean and poultry/egg industries.