Commodity Fundamentals: How to Trade the Precious Metals, Energy, Grain, and Tropical Commodity Markets

CHAPTER 25

Sources of Market Information

A good speculator needs to have timely market information at his or her disposal at all times. This chapter describes the reports that are available.

GRAINS

Corn, Wheat, Oats, and the Soybean Complex of Soybeans, Soybean Meal, and Soybean Oil

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issues monthly crop production reports through its Crop Reporting Board (CRB). These reports provide information for various field crops, including prospective plantings, planted acreage yields, and production.

The Agricultural Statistics Board (www.nass.usda.gov) publishes free reports. Write to USDA, Washington, DC 20250.

Expected Plantings.

In the spring, the USDA releases various field crop reports (www.nass.usda.gov). These reports cover all of the major grains. A prospective plantings report is also released then. The report con-tains expected plantings as of the first of the month for corn, oats, and other spring wheat.

In December, the small grains report indicates acreage, yield, and production of wheat and oats, plus revised data for the previous year.

Quarterly grain stocks reports generally include stocks of all wheat, corn, oats, and soybeans by state. These are released in January, April, June, and October. Because the October release excludes soybean stocks, a separate soybean stocks report is issued in September.

The USDA publishes a weekly grain market news report containing data about grains inspected for export, barge loading, and prices. ...