Overnight trading volume improved, but price movement was limited. Corn and wheat were lower, while soybeans firmed by a few cents ahead of the trading recess. Yesterday’s changes in open interest showed increases of 22,141 contracts of corn, 16,889 soybean contracts and 7,789 contracts of Chicago wheat. These appear to reflect new short selling by funds, which are amassing major short positions pretty much across the board. They remain long soyoil but are expanding short positions in everything else. We should note that these short positions are the opposite of seasonal trends that have grain and soy markets making gains during March. Losses for corn and wheat futures accelerated during the day session with both Chicago and KC May o...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The big news in the cattle markets yesterday was Tyson Foods’ move to close two more beef plants. One of them, the Joslin, Illinois, plant was shuttered immediately after the announcement. The other, in Eagle Mountain, Utah, is a case-ready plant that does not slaughter cattle. Tyson also...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
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