Corn Outlook: Grain producers have been dodging raindrops all month in an effort to plant corn. So far, Mother Nature is winning the battle as only 9 percent of the crop is planted compared to 46 percent a year ago and 23 percent for the five-year average. Conditions are expected to stay soggy in[…]
Corn Outlook: Anymore, normal is merely a setting on a washing machine! Gone are the days when traders looked exclusively at weather, supply and demand for a direction in the grains. Today, they must be aware of the macroeconomic situation and political developments. This week, Standard & Poor lowered their rating on the U.S.[…]
Corn Outlook: The planting intentions and grain stocks reports are in the record book and attention has turned to weather, the economy, and developments in Japan. Aftershocks from the earthquake and severity of the nuclear crisis in Japan are raising concerns that their economy will slip back into a recession. This is increasing anxiety[…]
Corn Outlook: Old crop corn futures surged to a record high this week because of tight stocks and the expansionary monetary policy held by the Federal Reserve. At present, the money supply tips $2.4 trillion. Recently, the Fed’s stated that commodity price gains were not the result of their monetary policy, but rather the[…]
Corn Outlook: Last winter, all traders could talk about was the need to plant additional acres of corn in 2011 to fulfill growing demand. This has developed as the USDA increased their planting intentions estimate 5.0 percent to 92.178 million acres. However, stocks will remain tight as quarterly stocks are down 15 percent from[…]
Corn Outlook: It has been a bumpy ride in grain futures the past couple of weeks because of confusion created by the earthquake in Japan and the unrest in the Middle East. Prices cratered shortly after the earthquake, but have since stormed back. During the sell-off, the trend following funds dumped 275 MB from[…]
Corn Outlook: Confusion reigned in the commodity and financial markets this week because of the earthquake in Japan and escalation of the unrest in Libya. Japan’s transportation infrastructure has been severely damaged which will disrupt grain shipments and may cause some cancellations. The Bank of Japan has pumped $180 billion into their economy and[…]
Corn Outlook: Uncertainty breeds uncertainty. This is the situation traders face in the grains. What will the Planting Intentions Report show at the end of the month? Will weather cooperate this spring? Will unrest in the Middle East and escalating energy prices put a damper on the global economy? Traders are currently gazing in[…]
Corn Outlook: While traders eye developments in Libya and the Middle East, the calendar has turned to March and their focus is on planting intentions and weather. Stocks of corn are tight, and a planting delay or adverse growing conditions could draw them down further. In the meantime, we must not lose sight of[…]
Corn Outlook: Grain futures were broadsided this week because of escalating tensions in the Middle East. Protests in Libya have resulted in hundreds of deaths. The unrest raised concerns of potential disruption of oil and grain shipments in the region. Because of the turmoil, the bulls are more cautious. Be advised that the trend[…]