💎 Fed’s first rate cut since 2020 set to trigger market. Find undervalued gems with Fair ValueSee Undervalued Stocks

GRAINS-Rebound short-lived; corn tumbles 2 pct

Published 05/06/2011, 01:03 PM
Updated 05/06/2011, 01:08 PM
PRU
-
INF
-
GC
-

* Wheat, soy down on renewed liquidation

* U.S. July corn breaks 100-day moving average

* Coming up: Weekly U.S. CFTC commitments report (Updates with corn turning lower, adds analyst quote)

By Julie Ingwersen

CHICAGO, May 6 (Reuters) - Grains fell on Friday after a short-lived rebound from the biggest sell-off in commodities since 2008 a day earlier, with corn tumbling 2 percent as the pace of seeding this year's crop picked up.

Corn was also pressured by renewed long liquidation, with hedge funds and other financial investors holding a much larger long position in corn than they do in soybeans or wheat.

"There is some planting in the west but not in the east, and the weather outlooks aren't all that good, so frankly everyone is a bit puzzled about corn's decline or who's behind it," said analyst Shawn McCambridge of Prudential Bache Commodities.

Noted crop forecaster Informa Economics told clients on Friday that it had raised its estimate of U.S. corn plantings to 91.9 million acres from 91.758 million in March. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has forecast 92.2 million acres.

The sell-off on Thursday provided some investors with a buying opportunity.

INVESTORS RELOAD

"A lot of people will reload down at these levels. Whether it will work for them remains to be seen," said Tom Uhlmann, an independent trader at the Chicago Board of Trade.

Gold, as well as other commodities, got a boost after data showed that U.S. employment increased by more than expected in April, with employers adding jobs at the fastest monthly pace in five years.

The data helped dampen concerns by investors over the health of the world's biggest economy.

At the Chicago Board of Trade, corn posted the biggest decline, falling 2 percent.

As of 11:28 a.m. CDT (1628 GMT), July corn was off 16-3/4 cents at $6.92 a bushel. July wheat was down 3-1/2 cents at $7.50-1/2 per bushel. and July soybeans were down 6-1/4 cents at $13.15-1/2.

The tightest U.S. corn supply since the 1930s underpinned grains, along with concerns about flooding and planting delays diminishing prospects for the new U.S. corn crop.

"The fundamentals around grains and oilseeds complex haven't changed. It's very bullish for corn in the near term," said Adam Davis, senior grains trader at Merricks Capital in Melbourne, which invests in agricultural commodities.

"We still have the U.S. growing season to go through, corn plantings so far have not been ideal and there is reasonable value at these levels," Davis said.

Wheat drew underlying support from concerns about dry conditions in the southern U.S. Plains as well as France and Germany.

An annual crop tour of Kansas, the top U.S. winter wheat grower, on Thursday projected the state's winter wheat output at 256.7 million bushels, with an average yield of 37.4 bushels per acre. If realized, the wheat crop would be the smallest in Kansas since 1996. (Additional reporting by K.T. Arasu in Chicago, Bruce Hextall in Sydney and Svetlana Kovalyova in Milan; Editing by Alden Bentley and Lisa Shumaker)

Latest comments

Risk Disclosure: Trading in financial instruments and/or cryptocurrencies involves high risks including the risk of losing some, or all, of your investment amount, and may not be suitable for all investors. Prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile and may be affected by external factors such as financial, regulatory or political events. Trading on margin increases the financial risks.
Before deciding to trade in financial instrument or cryptocurrencies you should be fully informed of the risks and costs associated with trading the financial markets, carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and seek professional advice where needed.
Fusion Media would like to remind you that the data contained in this website is not necessarily real-time nor accurate. The data and prices on the website are not necessarily provided by any market or exchange, but may be provided by market makers, and so prices may not be accurate and may differ from the actual price at any given market, meaning prices are indicative and not appropriate for trading purposes. Fusion Media and any provider of the data contained in this website will not accept liability for any loss or damage as a result of your trading, or your reliance on the information contained within this website.
It is prohibited to use, store, reproduce, display, modify, transmit or distribute the data contained in this website without the explicit prior written permission of Fusion Media and/or the data provider. All intellectual property rights are reserved by the providers and/or the exchange providing the data contained in this website.
Fusion Media may be compensated by the advertisers that appear on the website, based on your interaction with the advertisements or advertisers.
© 2007-2024 - Fusion Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.