Market Commentary: More Wheat Weather Premium, but Weakness Elsewhere
There was generally modest volume today, with the exception of wheat, which was also uniquely higher on the day. New highs for the calendar year were printed in HRW as the fledgling crop is about to have the double-whammy of freezing temperatures added to drought as the welcoming committee for...
Livestock Roundup: Cattle on Feed Preview
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report for 1 April will be released tomorrow. Analysts’ pre-report consensus estimates are for the total inventory on feed to be 99.3 percent of last year. Those estimates imply an on-feed inventory of 11.6 million head. The big line item to watch agai...
Transportation Perspectives - 16 April
WPI has officially launched Transportation Perspectives as a standalone weekly report separate from our Ag Perspectives articles and analysis. Current Ag Perspectives subscribers will have gratis access to the report through 16 April 2026. Please email us or subscr...
Market Commentary: Markets Discount Risk as Grains Quietly Hold Ground
Key Market Developments Macros & Energy: Outside markets continue to trade in a tug-of-war between escalation and de-escalation — and crude oil is right at the center of it. Overnight, crude pulled back toward $87 as headlines pointed to a potential resumption of peace negotiat...
War Impacts; Taxes and Tariffs
War Impacts May soybeans are now within a penny of their value two weeks ago, and May corn is back up to within half a percent of its price at that time. The S&P closed above 7,000 for the first time, and the Nasdaq hit a record high. The cost of gasoline is about 15 percent higher th...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Russian Grain Markets: 6-10 April 2026 During the week in review, the Russian grains market was volatile. Domestic sentiment remained bullish, supporting an upward trend; however, the export market in the south stayed bearish. Given Russia’s export-driven structure, weak export demand is...
Market Commentary: Wheat Rallies on Falling Conditions; Cattle Surge to New Records
The CBOT received several pieces of key fundamental information on Tuesday, including updated production figures from CONAB, the results of the USDA’s Monday Crop Progress report, and fresh export sales of corn to Mexico. The result was that wheat popped higher on growing concerns for yie...
China Market Analysis
Soybeans Dalien soybean futures and spot prices have defied seasonal trends since October 2025. They have been rising due to structural shortages of high-protein soybeans. Liu Mei, soybean analyst for Shanghai Steel Network, blames the situation on a poor harvest last year in the south, a delay...
Congress Coming Back to Busy Agenda
The House and Senate are returning from their two-week Easter recess period with a busy agenda ahead. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown has now hit the two-month mark, a plan is emerging to use reconciliation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs a...
Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa Regional Analysis
Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region Syria is reported to be the main destination for Russia’s shipments of Ukraine grain from occupied regions. Egypt had been the main destination, but it has now stopped buying grain from occupied areas. Syria and Ukraine plan...
Livestock Industry Margins
Beef packer margins deteriorated further last week to -$85/head, down from -$17/head the prior week, as continued strength in fed cattle prices again outpaced weakening boxed beef values. The Choice cutout declined $5.14/cwt to $386.41/cwt, while fed cattle prices rose $3.78/cwt to $388.36/cwt,...
Market Commentary: Political Tail Still Wagging the Market Dog
Politics are once again the tail wagging the dog in commodity markets. U.S. negotiations with Iran fell apart (again) over the weekend after Iran refused to agree to a permanent end of its nuclear weapons program. Rather than a return to the recent status quo, however, markets are adjusting to...
Market Commentary: More Wheat Weather Premium, but Weakness Elsewhere
There was generally modest volume today, with the exception of wheat, which was also uniquely higher on the day. New highs for the calendar year were printed in HRW as the fledgling crop is about to have the double-whammy of freezing temperatures added to drought as the welcoming committee for...
Livestock Roundup: Cattle on Feed Preview
USDA’s monthly cattle on feed report for 1 April will be released tomorrow. Analysts’ pre-report consensus estimates are for the total inventory on feed to be 99.3 percent of last year. Those estimates imply an on-feed inventory of 11.6 million head. The big line item to watch agai...
Transportation Perspectives - 16 April
WPI has officially launched Transportation Perspectives as a standalone weekly report separate from our Ag Perspectives articles and analysis. Current Ag Perspectives subscribers will have gratis access to the report through 16 April 2026. Please email us or subscr...
Market Commentary: Markets Discount Risk as Grains Quietly Hold Ground
Key Market Developments Macros & Energy: Outside markets continue to trade in a tug-of-war between escalation and de-escalation — and crude oil is right at the center of it. Overnight, crude pulled back toward $87 as headlines pointed to a potential resumption of peace negotiat...
War Impacts; Taxes and Tariffs
War Impacts May soybeans are now within a penny of their value two weeks ago, and May corn is back up to within half a percent of its price at that time. The S&P closed above 7,000 for the first time, and the Nasdaq hit a record high. The cost of gasoline is about 15 percent higher th...
Black Sea Regional Analysis
Russian Grain Markets: 6-10 April 2026 During the week in review, the Russian grains market was volatile. Domestic sentiment remained bullish, supporting an upward trend; however, the export market in the south stayed bearish. Given Russia’s export-driven structure, weak export demand is...
Market Commentary: Wheat Rallies on Falling Conditions; Cattle Surge to New Records
The CBOT received several pieces of key fundamental information on Tuesday, including updated production figures from CONAB, the results of the USDA’s Monday Crop Progress report, and fresh export sales of corn to Mexico. The result was that wheat popped higher on growing concerns for yie...
China Market Analysis
Soybeans Dalien soybean futures and spot prices have defied seasonal trends since October 2025. They have been rising due to structural shortages of high-protein soybeans. Liu Mei, soybean analyst for Shanghai Steel Network, blames the situation on a poor harvest last year in the south, a delay...
Congress Coming Back to Busy Agenda
The House and Senate are returning from their two-week Easter recess period with a busy agenda ahead. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown has now hit the two-month mark, a plan is emerging to use reconciliation to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs a...
Middle East, Mediterranean, and Africa Regional Analysis
Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region Syria is reported to be the main destination for Russia’s shipments of Ukraine grain from occupied regions. Egypt had been the main destination, but it has now stopped buying grain from occupied areas. Syria and Ukraine plan...
Livestock Industry Margins
Beef packer margins deteriorated further last week to -$85/head, down from -$17/head the prior week, as continued strength in fed cattle prices again outpaced weakening boxed beef values. The Choice cutout declined $5.14/cwt to $386.41/cwt, while fed cattle prices rose $3.78/cwt to $388.36/cwt,...
Market Commentary: Political Tail Still Wagging the Market Dog
Politics are once again the tail wagging the dog in commodity markets. U.S. negotiations with Iran fell apart (again) over the weekend after Iran refused to agree to a permanent end of its nuclear weapons program. Rather than a return to the recent status quo, however, markets are adjusting to...