The CBOT started Tuesday’s trade sharply higher overnight after USDA’s Crop Progress data showed surprising declines in U.S. corn and soybean ratings. As the day trade wore on, however, markets pulled back as traders are reluctant to commit to higher prices with weak trends and a shift towards more favorable U.S. weather. Funds were net buyers in corn and soybeans while selling wheat futures. The trade seems to be waiting for better/actual yield data and results before committing to either the bull or bear side. The U.S. weather forecast is becoming more favorable for the major crop-producing states as a high-pressure ridge over the Rockies weakens and allows moisture and cooler temperatures to move across the Plains and...
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...
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.