After the Bell | December 12, 2023
Corn: March corn futures rose 3 3/4 cents at $4.85 1/4 and near mid-range. The corn futures market today saw some short covering and a “Turnaround Tuesday” trading phenomenon following Monday’s losses.
Soybeans: The soy complex featured low-range closes across the board, with soyoil leading the way lower amid sharply lower crude oil futures, while meal gains ultimately faded to losses. March soybeans fell 12 1/4 cents to $13.23 3/4, while January soymeal fell $2.90 to $410.30. January soyoil fell 69 points to 50.42 cents. Soybean futures took back a portion of Monday’s gains amid technical pressure and improved South American weather forecasts for next week.
Wheat: March SRW wheat closed up 16 cents at $6.25 1/2 and nearer the session high. March HRW wheat rose 24 1/2 cents to $6.56 3/4 and nearer the session high. March spring wheat futures ended the day at $7.00 1/4, up $12.50 on the day and nearer the daily high. The wheat market bulls made a save today as they were able to recover nearly all of Monday’s sizeable losses, to keep some upside momentum in their favor.
Cotton: March cotton fell 95 points to 81.05 cents, a low-range close. Cotton futures posted a third day of consecutive losses, with pressure stemming from plunging crude oil futures to a six-month low amid heightened concerns of oversupply amid forecasts of softening demand into 2024.
Cattle: Cattle reversed early losses and closed significantly higher today. The expiring December live cattle contract rallied 72.5 cents to $167.70 and most-active February futures gained 70 cents to $168.60. January feeder futures advanced $1.30 to $219.25. Beef packers clearly held the upper hand in price negotiations for fed cattle last week, as exemplified by the $4.51 dive in the five-area direct cash average to $169.94.
Hogs: Hog futures traded mixed Tuesday, with the expiring December contract slipping 42.5 cents to $67.825 and most-active February climbing 92.5 cents to $68.25. Hog traders apparently expect the cash hog market to stabilize around current levels into the weekend, and more distantly into mid-February as indicated by current cash versus futures relationships.
