After the Bell | June 24, 2022
Corn: July corn futures rose 3 1/2 cents to $7.50 1/4, still down 37 3/4 cents for the week. December corn rose 18 1/2 cents to $6.74, still down 61 cents for the week. Corn futures rose on corrective buying and short covering in the wake of steep losses earlier this week, with stronger-than-expected export sales encouraging buyers.
Soybeans: July soybeans rose 17 1/2 cents to $16.10 3/4, still down 91 1/4 cents for the week. November soybeans rose 8 3/4 cents to 14.24 1/4, down $1.13 for the week. Soybeans took sharp losses for the week on an outlook for milder Midwest temperatures. Weather and USDA’s weekly crop ratings Monday will be two keys to market direction early next week before traders shift focus to USDA’s acreage and quarterly stocks reports June 30.
Wheat: September SRW wheat fell 12 3/4 cents to $9.36 1/2, down $1.10 1/4 for the week and the contract's lowest closing price since Feb. 28. September HRW wheat fell 12 1/2 cents to $9.98 1/4, down $1.13 3/4 for the week. September spring wheat fell 9 1/4 cents to $10.70 1/2. Accelerating harvest pressure and weak technicals continued to burden wheat futures.
Cotton: December cotton fell 396 points to 98.05 cents a pound, the lowest closing price since Jan. 18 and a weekly drop of 20.24 cents. Recession fears continued to burden the cotton market, overshadowing strong weekly export sales for the 2022-23 marketing year.
Cattle: August live cattle fell 50 cents to $133.375, down $3.20 for the week. August feeder cattle fell $2.15 to $172.70, down 25 cents for the week. Live cattle were pressured this week by weaker cash and recession concerns, but prices may gain a boost early next week from a bullish USDA Cattle on Feed report. May feedlot placements fell a larger than expected 2.1% from the same month a year earlier.
Cash cattle firmed late in the week behind strength in northern markets. USDA-reported live steers averaged $144.50 through Thursday morning, up from last week's average of $143.67.
Hogs: August hogs gained $3.10 to $106.775, down $1.10 for the week. Hogs ended the week on a firm note amid strong cash fundamentals, with the CME lean hog index near a 10-month high. The next index quote is expected to rise 21 cents to $110.90. Pork cutout values rose $2.43 to $112.20, still down from $114.20 at the end of last week. Today's movement was lighter than average at 263 loads.
