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feed-grains farm-inputs softs

Input Costs – Natural Gas

While grains were 19 percent lower on the S&P Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI), energy was down 41 percent. However, there may be a silver lining to this commodity cloud going into 2016.Commodities as an asset class experienced another bear year in 2015 with all six sectors (precious metals, base metals, energy, grains, soft commodities and meats) down on the year, although softs made gains in the fourth quarter (Q4). The composite index moved up 12.64 percent in Q4 to almost break even on the year at an annual drop of only 0.74 percent. Some supply shocks helped frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) futures appreciate 32.64 percent during the last quarter. Sugar rallied as well from just over 10 cents/pound in late summer to high...

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feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Inspections: Corn and Wheat Up, Soybeans and Sorghum Down

The USDA’s weekly export inspections report will continue to be issued during the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government, until further notice. However, there is a temporary suspension of the weekly export sales and monthly supply and demand reports. Nonetheless, USDA is repor...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa Regional Analysis

16 October was World Bread Day, just in case you missed it. The European Commodity Exchange held in Berlin Germany last week was well attended with over 4,000 people registered. There were many attendees from Turkey, Egypt, and across North Africa, fewer from Africa and the Middle East but stil...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins fell for the sixth straight week and were negative for the third week in a row. Margins are estimated at -$217/head – down $100 on the week - pressured by a sharp rally in fed cattle prices and weaker beef values. WPI forecasts that packers will see deeply negative mar...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Export Inspections: Corn and Wheat Up, Soybeans and Sorghum Down

The USDA’s weekly export inspections report will continue to be issued during the ongoing partial shutdown of the federal government, until further notice. However, there is a temporary suspension of the weekly export sales and monthly supply and demand reports. Nonetheless, USDA is repor...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa Regional Analysis

16 October was World Bread Day, just in case you missed it. The European Commodity Exchange held in Berlin Germany last week was well attended with over 4,000 people registered. There were many attendees from Turkey, Egypt, and across North Africa, fewer from Africa and the Middle East but stil...

livestock

Livestock Industry Margins

Beef packer margins fell for the sixth straight week and were negative for the third week in a row. Margins are estimated at -$217/head – down $100 on the week - pressured by a sharp rally in fed cattle prices and weaker beef values. WPI forecasts that packers will see deeply negative mar...

feed-grains soy-oilseeds wheat

Market Commentary: Trade Optimism Sparks Soy, Corn Rally

News that President Trump may be taking a more conciliatory stand towards China and that key leaders from Beijing and Washington are meeting to discuss the trade war emboldened funds on Monday. The soy complex was the upside leader with soybeans posting a bullish technical day as funds position...

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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.

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