Western Barley Futures Contract Languishes

Open interest in western barley futures have declined to virtually zero, which would normally signal the end of the contract’s long and distinguished history is close at hand. However, officials from ICE Futures Canada are not ready to give up on the contract quite yet and are working on ways to reinvigorate it. Open interest

Investors Try New Tactic With African Agriculture

Africa has long been a target for wealthy philanthropists who donate money in a fight against the continent’s poverty, disease epidemics and food shortages. Now, taking a cue from the non-profit world, profit-hungry investors are eyeing Africa in a new way, putting a charitable spin on their pursuit of double-digit returns. Whether it’s making loans


EU Targets Market Speculation – for Sep. 23, 2010

BRUSSELS/PARIS/REUTERS The European Commission is taking aim at growing speculation and volatility in commodity markets, using its plan to reform wider financial markets, just as EU grain futures hit contract highs Sept. 20. Michel Barnier, the European Commissioner in charge of financial reform services, said at a conference that he wanted to use a planned

Wheat: The Trend Is Your Friend Until The End – for Aug. 19, 2010

Wheat prices rallied over $3 per bushel in as little as six weeks on speculat ive buying and short covering. Farmers are now wondering when the rally will end. Technical analysis is very useful for determining current trends and trend changes. Some analysts rely on moving averages and others simply draw trendlines. Here is an



Livestock Producers Alerted To Hedge Meal

David drozd So y b e a n meal prices have rallied $42 per ton over the past five weeks. On June 9, technical analysis signalled traders and livestock producers alike to expect prices to turn back up. Technical analysis is the study of market movement. Its strength and popularity comes from the explicit assumption


Oat Prices Explode On A Short Covering Rally

David drozd Although the oat futures market is the most thinly traded cereal grain market in Chicago, it still provides reliable chart patterns and technical signals on when to buy and sell. Reading a chart is much like reading a road map. It tells you where prices are going to go. Let’s begin this journey

Agriculture A Good Buy When Volcanoes Erupt

LONDON/REUTERS Agricultural commodities were left in the dust as base metal prices boomed last year, but now represent the better investment, commodities bull Jim Rogers told Reuters April 29. “I’d rather buy agriculture, which didn’t move up, and I don’t want to buy base metals because they did go up,” he told Reuters in a


Ice Futures Canada Administrative Offices Set To Move

Winnipeg’s downtown Commodity Exchange Tower will soon be a misnomer. The lease is up and offices of ICE Futures Canada, Inc., formerly the Winnipeg Commodity Exchange will be moving closer to the suburbs in June, according to the president and CEO of the exchange. Brad Vannan said that the space currently used by the organization

Two-Month Reversal Warns Of Euro’s Impending Collapse

David drozd If you don’t think the failing euro doesn’t affect your bottom line, think again. Since the end of November 2009, the euro has lost about 12.5 per cent of its value relative to the U. S. dollar index and 15 per cent to the Canadian dollar – and this devaluation caused North American