(CMEGroup.com)

Coronavirus threatens Chicago’s last remaining trading pits

Grain options pits remain closed, for now

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago brokers and traders worry COVID-19 will kill more of the city’s once famous shout-and-gesture trading pits. CME Group, which owns the Chicago Board of Trade, said this week that most of the pits it closed in March because of the pandemic will remain shuttered indefinitely. The news disappointed some brokers […] Read more



(Lisa Guenther photo)

CBOT weekly outlook: WASDE largely neutral for soy, corn

MarketsFarm — The world agricultural supply and demand estimates (WASDE) from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had a “benign effect” on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), according to one trader. That’s mainly because U.S. production estimates for corn, wheat, and soybeans were largely unchanged. The U.S. soybean production estimate for 2020-21 was unchanged […] Read more

CBOT July 2020 wheat with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat declines as USDA estimates record global stocks

Corn gains on ethanol estimates; soybean traders eye Chinese demand

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures slid on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated global stocks were at a record high in its monthly supply and demand report, traders said. Soybean futures ended nearly unchanged as the USDA lowered export expectations, even after recent purchases from China supported prices. Corn advanced as […] Read more


(File photo by Dave Bedard)

ICE weekly outlook: Attention on weather after short-covering rally in canola

MarketsFarm — ICE Futures canola contracts have recovered off of lows hit at the beginning of the month, with speculative short-covering a feature as attention in the markets turns to North American growing conditions. While canola ran into some resistance Wednesday, there may still be more room to the upside. Canadian canola is at a […] Read more

CBOT July 2020 soybeans with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans gain on China demand

Improved U.S. rating lifts expectations for bumper corn crop; wheat up on pre-report positioning

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures gained on Wednesday, supported by solid demand from the world’s biggest importer, China, while corn edged lower on strong crop conditions. Wheat inched higher after falling for three consecutive sessions, but advances remained capped by a progressing winter wheat harvest in the U.S. southern Plains. Traders positioned ahead […] Read more


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Pulse weekly outlook: Levy cut an opportunity for Canadian lentils

MarketsFarm — Canadian lentils should benefit from India lowering its import levy on lentils from 30 to 10 per cent, said Marlene Boersch of Mercantile Consulting Venture Inc. in Winnipeg. The announcement, made June 2, was intended to reduce lentil prices in the country. India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare estimated the lentil crop […] Read more

CBOT July 2020 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans pare losses as China buys more

U.S. wheat harvest gathering pace

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures pared losses on Tuesday as traders said that China was purchasing more U.S. soy, after the market slumped earlier on improved crop progress outlooks. Chicago wheat and corn fell on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s assessment of crop conditions, which analysts viewed as bearish, and a favourable weather […] Read more


(Leonid Eremeychuk/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. EPA permits farmers’ use of dicamba until July 31

Court ruling blocked product registrations

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Monday that farmers can use existing supplies of a herbicide linked to crop damage, after a federal court blocked sales and use of the product last week. The EPA said farmers have until July 31 to use supplies of dicamba-based herbicides that they had […] Read more

CBOT July 2020 oats with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Demand pushes up cash prices for oats

Cash oats uncoupled from Chicago futures values

MarketsFarm — While scarcity of oats on the Prairies has pushed up cash prices, there has been a drop in futures prices on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), two buyers said. “The weakness in the futures definitely has nothing to do with cash prices in the country,” said Scott Shiels of Grain Millers at […] Read more