World Perspectives
livestock

Arbitraging Energy

Food prices have increased but not as much as energy costs. The latest CPI data shows food at home increased year-on-year in April by 10.8 percent, and by even more for animal proteins. However, the cost of gasoline has jumped from $2.948/gallon in April 2021 to $4.213/gallon last month. U.S. energy costs are a third less than Japan’s, and only half as much as Germany’s. Energy is about 14 percent of U.S. agricultural production costs and likely a larger share in most countries, though it is substantially less a cost burden in Russia. Because shipping water is expensive and even more so when bunker oil prices are high, countries that produce food and extract its water using lower energy costs are more competitive in global mark...

Related Articles
feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Mixed But Fruitful Day of Adjustments

Agricultural futures might be called mixed on the day, though that is upbeat by itself. There was a continuation of the bear wheat/bull beef story with a new contract low printed in HRS, and a new contract high in cattle. The corn market continued its rebound story on potential yield declines c...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2175/bushel, up $0.05 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.025/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.1075/bushel, up $0.0425 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $276.9/short ton, up $1 from y...

livestock

Livestock Roundup: Quick Hits – Feeder Cattle, Chicken Nuggets, China Hogs, Turkey and U.S. Brazil Trade Talks

Feeder Cattle Hit Record Highs: Feeder cattle contracts are trading at $382.725/cwt, a record high, including adjusted for inflation. The previous peak was $320 in today’s dollars. Futures across the board remain elevated, averaging about $380/cwt, an indication that tight supplies will l...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Mixed But Fruitful Day of Adjustments

Agricultural futures might be called mixed on the day, though that is upbeat by itself. There was a continuation of the bear wheat/bull beef story with a new contract low printed in HRS, and a new contract high in cattle. The corn market continued its rebound story on potential yield declines c...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Summary of Futures

Dec 25 Corn closed at $4.2175/bushel, up $0.05 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Wheat closed at $5.025/bushel, up $0.0375 from yesterday's close.  Nov 25 Soybeans closed at $10.1075/bushel, up $0.0425 from yesterday's close.  Dec 25 Soymeal closed at $276.9/short ton, up $1 from y...

livestock

Livestock Roundup: Quick Hits – Feeder Cattle, Chicken Nuggets, China Hogs, Turkey and U.S. Brazil Trade Talks

Feeder Cattle Hit Record Highs: Feeder cattle contracts are trading at $382.725/cwt, a record high, including adjusted for inflation. The previous peak was $320 in today’s dollars. Futures across the board remain elevated, averaging about $380/cwt, an indication that tight supplies will l...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Trump Tweet Can’t Sustain Soyoil Rally; Corn Firms on Yield Concerns

President Trump’s tweet about possibly restricting used cooking oil imports from China and more yield concerns for Midwest corn crops created mixed trade at the CBOT Wednesday. Soyoil, corn, and soymeal all pushed higher in a combination of technical and fundamentally-driven trade with co...

Image
From WPI Consulting

Infrastructure investment due diligence

On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.

Search World Perspectives

Sign In to World Perspectives

Don’t have an account yet? Sign Up