Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell two per cent on Wednesday, retreating from a two-week high set in early moves, as concerns eased about cold-weather damage following a frigid weekend in the U.S. Plains, analysts said. Corn futures firmed slightly, consolidating below multi-year highs established last week, and soybean futures closed mixed. A […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat retreats after cold-weather rally
Corn, soy futures consolidate

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures mostly firm on wintry Plains weather
April hogs stay within Friday's range
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed mostly higher on Tuesday as frigid conditions gripped the U.S. Plains and Midwest, limiting the movement of animals into meat plants and threatening to reduce cattle weights, traders said. However, rallies were limited as wintry weather and power outages prompted meat-packing plants to slow the slaughter […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat climbs to one-week high on frigid U.S. weather
Corn, soy futures follow firm trend
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures climbed to a one-week high on Tuesday, rising more than three per cent on fears that frigid temperatures in the bread basket of the U.S. Plains may have damaged winter wheat, analysts said. Corn and soybean futures followed the firm trend, with a strong U.S. soy-crushing pace and […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle slide on end-month profit-taking
Firm pork prices support CME lean hogs
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed lower on Friday as traders booked profits at the end of the week and month, and as Wall Street equity markets declined, traders said. Lower-than-expected cash cattle trades added to bearish sentiment. Market-ready cattle traded in the cash market as high as $113/cwt, traders said, up […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn sets 7-1/2-year high on China sales
Chicago wheat also up, soybeans firm
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures rose more than two per cent on Friday and set a multi-year high after China booked its biggest purchase of U.S. corn to date, fueling expectations of tightening global supplies. Wheat futures also rose about two per cent, chasing corn higher, and soybeans firmed as well. Chicago Board […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle end narrowly mixed
Hogs also mixed, feeder cattle mostly lower
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed narrowly mixed on Thursday, with the benchmark April contract inching higher as strong wholesale beef prices continued to support the market, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange April live cattle settled up 0.075 cent at 122.7 cents/lb. (all figures US$). But front-month February futures ended lower, down […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn ends flat after vaulting to 7-1/2 year high
Corn sales to China spurred climb
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures settled nearly flat on Thursday after a volatile session in which the benchmark contract hit its highest level in 7-1/2 years, buoyed by U.S. corn sales to China, only to retreat on profit-taking, traders said. Soybean and wheat futures closed lower in technical trade, despite concerns about tightening […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hogs end lower on profit-taking
March feeder cattle also lower
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell on Wednesday in a light profit-taking setback following a four-session climb, and on spillover weakness from declines in Wall Street equity markets, traders said. However, continued strength in wholesale beef prices and expectations of higher cash cattle prices this week underpinned the market. Chicago Mercantile Exchange […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat down on profit-taking
Corn pares gains off seven-year high
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures fell about one per cent on Wednesday on profit-taking as the dollar firmed and Wall Street equity markets sagged, analysts said. But worries about tightening global inventories underpinned the grains, keeping wheat, corn and soybean futures near multi-year highs set this month. Chicago Board of Trade March wheat […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn soars four per cent on fresh sales to China
Chicago soy, wheat also climb
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures surged four per cent on Tuesday as news of fresh export sales to China re-ignited concerns about tightening U.S. and global grain supplies, analysts said. Soybeans followed corn higher, with worries about a slow start to the Brazilian soy harvest lending support. Wheat firmed on supply concerns and […] Read more