Hog Program May Lend Less Than Expected

“I know the industry is short a billion dollars.” – andrew dickson, mpc Pork producers worry that a federally guaranteed loan program for the financially troubled hog industry may lend only a fraction of the money originally hoped for. Ottawa has set aside $400 million in cash as a reserve to backstop special long-term loans

Washington Is Supporting Your Canola

For three-times-daily market reports from Don Bousquet and RNI, visit “ICE Futures Canada updates” at www.manitobacooperator.ca Gr a i n and oilseed prices at ICE Futures Canada in Winnipeg closed the week ended Nov. 20 higher, with canola seeing moderate gains. Strength in the U. S. soy complex, friendly technical signals, a weaker Canadian dollar


Ag Products Still On Buy, Sell List

Agricultural commodities will be an attractive investment opportunity in 2010 while gold could suffer a correction after rallies to record highs this year, a hedge fund manager at Federated Investors said Nov. 4. “A basket of agricultural commodities would seem sufficiently attractive as a long-term investment,” Steve Lehman, manager of the $1.48-billion Federated Market Opportunity

Taking The Edge Off With Futures And Options

“I pounded my head against the wall. When you say those words – ‘I think,’ ‘I hope,’ or ‘It’s gotta go higher’ – you’re speculating.” – TOM CLARK, CME There are a few surefire ways to avoid the unpredictable nature of commodity markets. One way out of the lowest-price-is-the-law trap is to direct market all


Hail Damage Seen Below Average

Manitoba’s farms saw “relatively light” hail damage during the 2009 growing season, with a near-average number of claims but total hail insurance payouts “well below average.” The Canadian Crop Hail Association, a Prairie hail insurers’ group, last week pegged Manitoba’s total hail insurance payouts for the 2009 season at just $12.2 million, spread over 2,650

Frustrated Chicago Wheat Traders Seen Testing MGE

Frustrated wheat traders who say the Chicago Board of Trade Soft Red Winter wheat contract is no longer an effective hedging tool appear to be testing the waters in a new market – the Minneapolis Grain Exchange. Open interest in the MGE’s long-dormant, cash-settled Soft Red Winter Wheat Index futures has exploded over the last


Bearish USDA Report Coincides With Bearish Chart Pattern

David drozd Although technical analysts, such as myself, rely primarily on analyzing charts for determining price reversals and in forecast ing price direction, we do keep one eye on the fundamental information as well. I’ll have to admit though, that whenever technical and fundamental analysis are at odds, and they are more times than not,

Soybean Acreage Weighs On Meal Prices

Wh e n one studies many weekly bar charts, it becomes evident that prices over a period of several months are typically moving up or down. This direction is the long term or major trend of the market. Within the major trend there are a series of fluctuating price movements that can be of several


Harami Warns Farmers Of Impending Drop In Wheat Prices

David drozd As I have mentioned before in this column, the Japanese are true pioneers of technical analysis of the markets. Their techniques have evolved from fairly simple beginnings, trading forward rice contracts (futures) in the 17th century, to now include many sophisticated ways to analyze the markets, including the amazingly powerful modern-day charting method

ICE Canada To List New Western Barley Futures Contract

ICE Futures Canada has received approval to list a new Western barley futures contract, a notice to market participants from the exchange said. The current Western barley futures contract months from March 2010 onward are to be delisted immediately. July ’09, October ’09, and December ’09 contracts will remain listed, ICE Futures Canada said. The