Friday, January 10, 2014

Commodities: Four Big USDA Reports This Morning

The potential market movers are the WASDE, Grain stocks, Crop production and Winter wheat.
From the United States Department of Agriculture Newsroom:
Fri 01/10/2014
    12:00 PM WASDE ERS
    12:00 PM Crop ProductionThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. NASS
    12:00 PM Cotton GinningsThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. NASS
    12:00 PM Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin (WAOB) WAOB
    12:00 PM Crop Production - Ann.This is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. NASS
    12:00 PM Grain StocksThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. NASS
    12:00 PM Winter Wheat SeedingsThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. NASS
    12:00 PM Rice StocksThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. NASS
    12:15 PM Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade FAS
    12:15 PM World Agricultural Productions FAS
    12:15 PM Cotton: World Markets and Trade FAS
    12:15 PM Grains: World Markets and Trade FAS
    3:00 PM Peanut PricesThis is an external link or third-party site outside of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website. NASS
    4:00 PM Season-Average Price Forecasts

And from AgWeb:

Will Today’s Reports Lift or Fizzle Prices?
Market experts weigh in on potential surprises and market reaction.
Today at 11 a.m. USDA will release the following major crop reports: Annual Crop Production, Grain Stocks, Winter Wheat Seedings, and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE).
"With four major reports being released, it’s really going to be a ‘Grain Grand Slam’," says Greg Wagner, president of GWX Ag Advisors.

Which Report Will Steal the Show?

Wagner says the Grain Stocks report, in particular for corn, will likely grab headlines. He’s keeping his eye on the feed and residual offtake. "The sharp recovery in exports is known and the trade has a good handle on food, seed and industrial use," he says. "But the well-known unknown is the ‘slush’ category of feed and residual that could provide fireworks."

Dustin Johnson, a broker with EHedger, agrees that all eyes will be on corn stocks. "I think today’s report could result in a bearish market reaction for corn unless we see a substantial reduction in stocks from the 10.8 billion expected," he says. "This report is especially important because it is the first stocks count to confirm the large 2013 crop."

A bearish tone for corn is also predicted by Cody Bills of Grain Hedge. For soybeans, he thinks the market reaction will be neutral.

Bills, like many in the trade, thinks USDA will need to raise the national average corn yield by half a bushel per acre or more per acre. "A yield revision of this size would push 2013/14 ending stocks 75 – 100 million bushels higher and continue to pressure corn futures," he says.

As a whole, Johnson says, producers are holding onto a substantial amount of unpriced corn. "As input bills come due we will likely see bushels come to market and the influx of supply weigh on prices," he says. "The market should have already accounted for this but may be waiting to get past the stocks report before they continue to sell at new contract lows just in-case there is a bullish surprise."....MORE