Opening Comments Grains for 5-14-2012

Markets are called mixed this a.m. behind continued soybean fund liquidation, a choppy overnight session for wheat and corn, and rather weak outside markets.

In the overnight session corn was unchanged on the July contract, new crop Dec corn was up 2, old crop beans were down 25 cents, new crop beans were down 17 cents, KC wheat was unchanged, MPLS wheat was up ½ of a cent, and CBOT wheat was down 3.  At 9:10 outside markets are showing risk off and liquidation presently the equities are weaker with the DOW off 140 points, crude down a little over 2.00 a barrel, the US dollar up nearly 400 at 80.654 on the cash index, and gold is off about 28 an ounce.

Scary outside markets this a.m. and fund liquidation on beans is the story.  The cash story for grains hasn’t changed much; it is still very hard to buy corn and basis is still very strong.  May contracts go off the board today; but in the overnight May corn was up 16 cents. 

With the latest USDA report out of the way we should really turn into a weather type of market.  Good weather probably causes our prices to continue to erode and weather that stresses our crops maybe gives us a weather scare rally at some point.  

Beans showing weakness really doesn’t have much to do with the fundamentals as the last USDA report was not bearish.  But it shows us how important money flow is and the fact that everyone can’t be bullish and long as eventually we ran out of buyers.  Now longer term a price break that helps demand isn’t the worst thing in the world and it maybe gives us a chance to bounce later. 

Until weather or some other story gives the funds a reason to buy look for grains to have plenty of willing sellers on the bounces; as the mentality has really changed to that of sell the rally.  The outside markets haven’t helped us at all for a while either and memories from 2008 are still fresh and the reality is that with perfect weather and weak outside markets a similar fate could be in store.

Please give us a call if you need any help with your marketing plan.

Thanks