After the Bell | January 26, 2023
Corn: March corn futures rose 7 3/4 cents to $6.82 1/2 and nearer the session high. After fading last week, the corn futures bulls this week are showing the resilience to keep alive a price uptrend on the daily bar chart and to suggest more upside in the near term.
Soybeans: March soybeans surged 21 cents higher to $15.23 1/2, near the session high and marking the highest close since Jan. 18. March meal finished the session $11.60 higher to $477.10, while March soyoil rose 25 points to 60.79. Soybeans surged higher for the second straight session after the nearby contract reached over a two-week low on Wednesday, which swiftly prompted short covering back above $15.00.
Wheat: March SRW wheat gained 11 1/4 cents at $7.52 1/2 and nearer the session high. March HRW wheat rose 21 1/2 cents to $8.64 3/4, near the session high and hit a three-week high. Spring wheat futures advanced 8 1/2 cents to a close at $9.18. Winter wheat futures markets today saw more short-covering featured after March SRW hit a nearly 1.5-year low on Monday.
Cotton: March cotton rose 84 points to 87.50 cents, a mid-range close after trading as high as 88.88. Cotton futures were able to mark gains for a second straight session, in unison with crude oil gains, though the U.S. dollar was higher, capping gains in the fiber.
Cattle: Nearby February live cattle futures fell 87.5 cents to $156.725, while most-active March feeder futures sank 90 cents to $182.85. Wednesday’s monthly USDA Cold Storage report indicated a surprisingly large build in domestic beef stockpiles last month, with the fact that domestic beef production fell 6% annually likely exacerbating the negative market implications (although a large portion of the reduced production simply reflected the loss of a workday versus December 2021, implying the industry wasn’t dealing with a serious shortage).
Hogs: Deferred hog futures surged Thursday, which pulled nearby February up 22.5 cents to $77.025. Hog futures began Thursday’s trading quite softly in apparent response to Wednesday afternoon’s monthly Cold Storage report from the USDA.
