Ethanol Comeback May Boost Corn Prices

Posted on May 14, 2013 by

The global energy space has been dominated by discussions about fossil fuel alternatives in recent years, as there are a number of solutions to our addiction to these commodities. One of the most popular options has been the use of corn-based ethanol in crude oil, which decreases the amount of crude oil needed when the ethanol is mixed in. While it is not a one-stop solution, many see it as a sign of weening ourselves off of crude oil and working towards a more renewable resource [for more ethanol news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Commodity Producers, Corn, Energy, Ethanol | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Monsanto (MON) Beats Wall Street Earnings Estimates

Posted on April 4, 2013 by

When it comes to agribusiness stocks, there is perhaps no name bigger than Monsanto Company (MON) – the world’s leading producer of the herbicide glyphosate and the second biggest producer of genetically engineered seeds. Headquartered in St. Louis, the firm has grown into an over $55 billion company, with operations spanning across the U.S., Europe, Africa, Brazil, Asia-Pacific, Argentina, Canada and Mexico [for more agricultural news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Commodity Producers, Corn, Earnings Reports | Tagged | Leave a comment

Shorter Trading Days For Grain And Soy Traders

Posted on March 7, 2013 by

On Tuesday, the CME Group announced that it will reduce grain and oilseed trading hours to 17.5 hours from 21 hours. This comes after last year’s largely controversial expansion, which got significant backlash from traders, brokers and agricultural companies alike. Managing Director of Agricultural Commodities and Alternative Investments at CME Group, Tim Andriesen stated that “Over the past several months, we have received significant customer feedback about the current CBOT grain trading hours. While there were varying opinions about what the modifications to hours should be, we believe these changes balance the needs of our diverse global customers based on their feedback” [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Agriculture, Commodity Futures, Corn, News and Current Events, Soybeans, Wheat | Leave a comment

How Ags Will React to Last Year’s Drought

Posted on February 17, 2013 by

The agricultural industry was hit hard by the most severe and extensive drought in at least 25 years in 2012, which had an impact on crops, livestock and food prices at all levels. While prices have already started to increase in the fourth quarter of 2012, the majority of the impact on retail food prices will likely be seen throughout 2013, according to a recent report by the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) analyzing the drought [for more agricultural news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Agriculture, Commodity Futures, Corn, Livestock, Soybeans, Wheat | Leave a comment

The 5 Best Commodities of 2012

Posted on December 28, 2012 by

Another year has come to an end, and another 12-month stretch of frantic commodity trading can go in the books. As is par for the course, this year saw a number of big movers throughout the space, as these assets maintained their reputation for general volatility. This year saw its share of winners and losers, as a number of macroeconomic factors combined to guide the commodity space to the finish line. Below, we outline the five commodities that outperformed their competition in 2012 [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Commodity Futures, Corn, Energy, Gasoline, Lumber, Platinum, Precious Metals, Soybeans | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

A Deeper Look At Brazil’s Commodity Industry

Posted on December 15, 2012 by

Due to better governance practices and a commodity boom, Brazil’s economy has enjoyed incredible growth over the past 20 years. Brazil is now the largest economy in Latin America and the sixth or seventh largest economy depending upon the metric used. On the other hand, while Brazil’s GDP per capita has improved, it still ranks at a relatively low 64th in the world – meaning that it is a large economy, but not an especially wealthy one yet (at least not uniformly so). While Brazil has made a concerted effort to build up its manufacturing sector (and reduce the risk of being trapped as a commodity-driven economy), minerals, energy and agriculture are still very significant to the Brazilian economy, as well as the larger global economy [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Academic Research, Agriculture, Aluminum, Biofuels, Coal, Coffee, Commodity ETFs, Commodity Futures, Commodity Producers, Copper, Corn, Energy, Gold, Industrial Metals, Natural Gas, Precious Metals, Soybeans, Steel, Sugar, Wheat | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Inside Citi’s 2013 Agriculture Outlook

Posted on December 11, 2012 by

As 2012 comes to a close, Wall Street begins to look ahead to the coming year and what trends will have the biggest impact on the commodity world. Financial behemoth Citigroup (C) recently came out with an all-encompassing forecast for the next two years for almost every major commodity. Of particular interest was their outlook on ags, as these commodities have been on a wild ride for 2012; one of the hottest summers on record and an extended drought sent futures all over the board [for more agricultural news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Agriculture, Asset Allocation, Commodity Futures, Corn, Soybeans, Wheat | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Commodities That Have Thrived Under President Obama

Posted on December 1, 2012 by

As an asset class, natural resources often get lumped together, falling under a single weighting in one’s investment portfolio. After all, the most popular approach by many retail investors is through an ETF or futures fund that tracks a basket of commodities. The PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking (DBC) and iPath DJ-UBS Commodity Index ETN (DJP) are two of the most popular options for investors [for more commodity news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter]. However, natural resources are completely distinct animals and behave differently due to various demand, supply, weather and other external factors. Believe it or not, one of those external factors can be who’s in the White House. Since President Obama took office four years ago, a certain set of commodities have thrived in both production and price increases. With Obama winning another term, it stands to reason that these commodities have a good chance of seeing gains … See the full story here →

Posted in Agriculture, Commodity Trading Outlook, Corn, Energy, Gold, Natural Gas, Precious Metals, Silver | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

3 Commodity ETFs To Be Thankful For This Year

Posted on November 22, 2012 by

As is perhaps always the case, commodity markets have had quite an action-packed year thus far. Landmark events, such as President Obama’s re-election and this summer’s massive drought brought on by record-breaking temperatures have propelled many commodities into some volatile swings, rewarding those lucky investors while burning many others. But on this Thanksgiving Day, it is perhaps more appropriate for us to reflect on those commodities we’re particularly grateful for. Below, we highlight three commodity ETFs that have delivered stellar performances thus far in 2012 (YTD returns as of November 20, 2012) [for more commodity ETF news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter]:

Posted in Agriculture, Commodity ETF Analysis, Commodity ETFs, Corn, Energy, Gasoline, Precious Metals, Silver, Soybeans, Wheat | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Corn ETF Holds Support: Time To Buy?

Posted on November 21, 2012 by

Bargain shoppers have arrived early on Wall Street ahead of Black Friday as last week’s brutal sell-off has left the marketplace scattered with ripe opportunities for seasoned veterans not shaken up from all of the volatility. Renewed optimism from President Obama that Congress would strike a deal before we drive off the “fiscal cliff” has been a major catalyst behind this week’s bounce, while encouraging housing market data has also brought the bulls back to the equity front [for more economic news and analysis subscribe to our free newsletter].

Posted in Actionable Ideas, Commodity ETF Analysis, Commodity ETFs, Corn | Tagged | Leave a comment