Market Analysis
Cattle futures were lower early Thursday seeing some profit taking after some technical chart breakouts this week, but also positioning ahead of the holiday.
Soybeans ended higher as rumored export business was confirmed by USDA with a flash sale of 13.7 million bu. to unknown destinations. However, China was also looking for corn and wheat.
Wednesday morning USDA reported a flash sale of 13.7 million bushels of soybeans to unknown destinations and Randy Martinson with Martinson Ag says the market is betting that its China.
Soybeans were sharply lower in the overnight trade and then saw a gap higher open during the day session on talk that China was in pricing U.S. soybeans says Brian Grete with Commstock Investments.
Vince Boddicker of Farmers Trading Company says while no sales have been confirmed, just the rumors of China in the U.S. market looking for bids brought buyers back into the market.
Grains saw nice reversals and closed higher on Monday, which was a victory considering the amount of bearish news the market had to absorb according to Kevin Duling with KD Investors.
Brad Kooima says cattle were catching some spillover selling from the news the Iran peace deal had been signed, the higher equity markets and lower crude oil futures.
Jim McCormick of AgMarket.Net says the grain market has taken out premium tied to weather, war and China.
Scott Varilek with Kooima Kooima Varilek says the cattle market saw some pre-weekend positioning and was also trading news that a JBS beef slaughter plant in Pennsylvania was closing.
Chip Nellinger, Blue Reef AgriMarketing says corn saw pressure from weather and lack of bullish news in the WASDE.
John Heinberg with Total Farm Marketing says fund selling eased on Tuesday as traders gear up for the WASDE on Thursday
Dave Chatterton with Strategic Farm Marketing says funds have sold and liquidated hard the last three weeks in the corn market and while they took their foot off the gas on Monday he doesn’t think the selling is done.
Grain markets all made new lows for the move on additional fund long liquidation says Randy Martinson with Martinson Ag Risk Management.
Mark Knight with Farmers Keeper Financial says the funds are exiting as the grains have divorced from the crude oil market and are trading weather.
Garrett Toay with AgTraderTalk says the grains fell despite the sharply higher crude oil market but why now?
Scott Varilek with Kooima Kooima Varilek says cattle had a lower week last week on fund liquidation and headlines regarding new NWS cases. However, he’s not sure if the funds are done selling yet.
Matt Bennett with AgMarket.Net says the broad based selling was tied to lower crude oil markets and headlines from President Trump that the Strait of Hormuz was going to reopened and the U.S. had struck a cease fire for the next 60-days.
A case of New World Screwworm (NWS) only 52 miles from Texas was reported by USDA on Thursday making it the closest detection to the U.S. to date. Brad Kooima with Kooima Kooima Varilek says that is pressuring cattle futures.
The row crop and cotton markets saw some early support Thursday from a rally in crude oil as doubts about the peace deal with Iran came into question.
Grains markets were mostly higher Thursday morning except hard red winter wheat following a bounce in crude oil says Mike Minor with Professional Ag Marketing.
Corn and wheat futures saw more fund selling and long liquidation end of month but it was triggered by war headlines. Chuck Shelby with Zaner Ag Hedge says those markets continue to remove risk premium.
Alan Brugler with A&N Economics, Inc. says the grain market traders are cautiously optimistic a cease fire or peace deal between the U.S. and Iran is near and took out war premium Tuesday.
Joe Kooima with Kooima Kooima Varilek says at least initially it looks like the cattle futures had already anticipated the negative report data with the sell off late last week.
Mike Castle of StoneX says corn and soybeans added some war premium on Friday but are trading under recent highs. What could trigger a rally to retest those prices?
Scott Varilek with Kooima Kooima Varilek says the pressure came from fund long liquidation and was continuing on Friday with significant chart damage done.
Grains markets were lower seeing speculative selling pressure on a lack of fresh bullish news and profit taking end of month according to Naomi Blohm with Total Farm Marketing.
Jon Scheve with Scheve Grain says the grain markets are looking for bullish news and without China purchases soon have the grain markets put highs in?