Making Sense of China’s Soy Purchases and Demand Last Friday USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said China’s vice premier had committed that country to buying an additional 10 MMT of U.S. soybeans as a gesture of goodwill during the U.S.-China trade negotiations. That brought the total Chinese purchase promise to 20 MMT since the G-20 meeting in Buenos Aires on 1 December. While Secretary Perdue suggested the additional purchases would be imminent, there is no certainty of that nor any indication of when those soybeans will be scheduled for export. The USDA export sales report released also on Friday indicated that China had contracted to purchase 7.534 MMT as of 14 February, which included 7.406 MMT for shipment in 2018/19 and 128,0...
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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...