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Showing posts with label AIG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AIG. Show all posts

Monday, March 2, 2009

Hog Comments - 03-02-09 - Hogs take a break from the recent rally.

CORN - May '09 Electronic
Open - $3.57 1/4, High - $3.62 3/4, Low - $3.44 1/2 Close - $3.50 1/4 Down $.08 3/4
May '09 corn did what everything else was doing today, moving lower.  I had support last week at $3.59 1/4 where I purchased futures ($3.60 actually) against $3.60 May'09 call options to get further coverage in place after taking some equity out of the market the day before.  I have around 25% exposure to the downside that has unknown risk however all of my other positions have a know risk factor.

As I watched the May '09 corn contract sink lower and lower today it did find some support around $3.45 1/2.  The market made its big move during the first hour of trade then had $.01 1/2 worth of follow through to the downside during the second hour and the third hour was looking for a retracement of the earlier downside move.  It is hard to have a friendly tone to the market now that we have pierced the $3.50 1/2 support level in the May '09 contract.  Last Friday's close below $3.63 wasn't the best Weekly close we could've had.  A close below $3.63 on a consistent basis would project another test of the contract low of $3.15 3/4 set on 12-05-08.  

Bottom line - today's action is piggy backed on the decline of the Dow Jones making its lowest low since 1997 by the help of our friends at AIG needing more taxpayer money.  The Dow Jones aside I am looking for an early low tomorrow and firm as we move forward into the day.  I think it is safe to say we should see a test of today's low of $3.44 1/2 and then attempt to rally toward $3.50 3/4.  Support for tomorrow in the May '09 contract is $3.44 1/2 then small support at $3.37 1/2 and resistance should be $3.50 3/4 then $3.52 1/4.  I am looking for some turn around Tuesday action tomorrow.

MEAL - May '09 Electronic
Open - $267.50, High - $269.30, Low - $259.50, Close - $260.80 Down $9.00

May '09 meal wasn't anything special today as it followed the same trade tendencies as the rest of the Ag commodities.  I have a cycle low in place on May '09 meal as of last Thursday but that doesn't mean the cycle is that exact low; it makes a projection in the area of the low.  Looking at today's trade we see some signs of a possible recovery tomorrow.  The troubling part of this cycle low is the market has now closed below $270.70 for three straight days and that would suggest a test of the contract low at $237.00.   I have call option positions in place where I know my risk and will continue to use this strategy until I see signs that would suggest otherwise.

Bottom line - I see May meal opening lower tonight on follow through weakness and then finding support and firming from there.  Again, similar to corn I believe the Dow Jones is going to have some effect on tonight's open for the Ag sector.  I see tomorrow having an early low and a late high looking for a turnaround Tuesday type action.  Support is $259.50 then $255.30 and resistance is $263.90 then $265.20.  I am looking for an early low and late high tomorrow but it all depends on how the Dow Jones reacts tomorrow.

HOGS - April '09 GLOBEX
Open - $60.925, High - $60.975, Low - $59.825, Close - $60.275 Down $.625 

April '09 hogs retraced some of its gains from last week today closing $.625 lower on the day.  Morning cash bids were up nicely according to the USDA but with the outside markets in the crapper it was hard to get anything going to the upside.  Also some of the cash optimism was factored into last week's trade.

The market action in the April '09 contract was just a pause to make a move higher in the future.  We bounced off of the 50% retracement level of Friday's price range ($59.825) and closed above it.  With this being said it looks as if the market wants to make another run at Friday's high of $61.075 at some point in the near future.  June '09 is also holding above $71.175 which is the 50% retracement level back to the $69.62 low prior to our rally.  As long as we hold $71.175 the market is still poised to test the most recent high of $72.75 at some point in the near future. 

Bottom line - I am looking for some early weakness tonight/tomorrow and test the $59.82 level in the April '09 and also the $71.175 level in the June '09 contract.  Cutout was mildly lower tonight only down $.13 but we sure could have used some positive news in what seems to be a huge bear blanket surrounding the markets today.  I expect some recovery for the hog sector tomorrow along with the grains with projections of early lows and late highs.  April '09 support for tomorrow is $59.825 then $59.55 and if we get bearish then $58.60, resistance is at $60.45 then $61.075-$61.275.  June '09 support is $71.175 then $70.825 while resistance should be $71.925-$72.125 then $72.75.  I don't think the high end of my resistance levels for either April '09 or June '09 are attainable tomorrow unless we get major rallies in other markets.

NW_LS500
Des Moines, IA     Mon, Mar 02, 2009     USDA Market News

USDA NATIONAL CARLOT PORK REPORT as of:  3:00 P.M.
Purchases equated to FOB Omaha Basis.

Compared to Friday's Close:         Fresh loins steady to weak;
butts, sknd hams, and sdls bellies steady; lean trimmings firm. Trading slow,
with light to moderate demand and mostly moderate offerings.




-----------------------------------------------------------------
Loads PORK CUTS          :             52.38
Loads TRIM/PROCESS PORK  :               6.0
-----------------------------------------------------------------

USDA ESTIMATED PORK CARCASS CUTOUT
Based on FOB Omaha carlot pork prices and industry yields.

           Calculations for a 200 lb Pork Carcass
        53-54% lean, 0.65"-0.80" backfat at last rib
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
         Total                   Today's Primal Cutout Values
Date     Loads      Carcass    Loin    Butt   Pic     Rib   Ham  Belly
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
03/02        58.4      56.22   70.76   60.01  40.12  98.00 40.32  71.26
Change :               -0.13   -0.36    0.26   0.00  -0.16 -0.25    unc
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NW_LS831
Des Moines, IA     Mon, Mar 02, 2009     USDA-IA Dept of Ag Market News

National Direct Hog Price Comparison

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :  National   :    Iowa     :   Western   :   Eastern
                :             :  Minnesota  :  Cornbelt   :  Cornbelt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Base Price is the price from which no discounts are subtracted and
   no premiums are added.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BARROWS & GILTS :  1.32 hgr   :   .13 hgr   :   .88 hgr   :   .67 hgr
Negotiated      :             :             :             :
CARCASS BASIS   : 46.00-59.00 : 46.00-59.00 : 46.00-59.00 : 46.00-59.00
185 lb Base Hog :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg
Plant Delivered :    55.22    :    55.44    :    56.19    :    52.63
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Count      :   24,537    :   11,776    :   17,344    :    6,489
==========================================================================
Hurley & Associates believes positions are unique to each person’s risk bearing ability; marketing strategy; and crop conditions, therefore we give no blanket recommendations. The risk of loss in trading commodities can be substantial, therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. NFA Rules require us to advise you that past performance is not indicative of future results, and there is no guarantee that your trading experience will be similar to the past performance.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Hog Comments - 09-18-08 - Corn did what? Hogs backed off from yesterday.

Dec '08 Corn Daily Chart
CORN
Corn fell apart faster than a $2.00 suitcase today as it opened around $.03 higher and then just tanked. We touched limit lower for a minute or two before bouncing .11 cents off the low. Some of the volatility came from Crude Oil trading up to $102.24 only to sell off and trade lower for a fair amount of the corn trade session.  It is now trading $1.66 higher as I write this.  Gold continued to climb as it was as high as $75 higher at one point today only to retrace most of todays early gains when the Dow Jones began its afternoon rally.
Well back to corn, I like it when we make big moves early in the day because they usually don't stick unless there is a very solid fundamental reason.  Today seemed to be more fund liquidation as I understand it, commodity funds liquidating around 13,000 contracts.   I have to say I didn't expect the market to do what it did today and I don't think I was alone.  We made lows below yesterdays low of $5.26 but closed above that level today settling at $5.27 1/4.
I expect corn to open lower tonight and find some support and try to make a rally toward the $5.41-$5.45 area of resistance which is 50% and 62% retracement back to the $5.58 high in the day session today. The market seemed pretty weak going into the close today with what is rumored to be the effects of the trouble AIG is having on Wall Street.  The Dow Jones made a huge rally toward the end of the session closing around 400 points higher on the day, around 550 points off of its low of the day.
Bottom line - I expect a lower opening tonight and look for support to show up at lower levels. It might be a stretch expecting better trade tomorrow but it is Friday and funny things happen on Fridays!  I believe we will have mixed to higher trade tomorrow going into the weekend.

Dec '08 Meal Daily Chart
MEAL
Dec '08 meal didn't do well today but it wasn't a complete mess either.  We blew through the support points I talked about yesterday at $320-$321.  I have to say, this bean complex is really throwing me for a loop.  I am and have been looking for soybeans and soybean meal to bounce but the market isn't having it.  I am maintaining my stance to be hedged on meal, preferably with options.  I have a buy signal setup for tomorrow which would be buying  $316.50 on a buy stop order with an exit sell stop below the current low at the time of the fill of the buy order.  This is not a recommendation but more of an observation.
The meal market is so close to the August low of $311.20 that I find it hard to believe we will not go down and test it. I would expect another test of $311.20 and if we can't break through those lows then we should rebound.  Resistance for tomorrow is $320-$322 in the Dec '08 contract.
Bottom line - I expect meal to open lower tonight and find support.  Once support is established I think we can bounce some but I am not sure how high we can get.   I think $320-$322 tomorrow would stop the market for now.  The sell off today has been rumored to be leftovers from the AIG mess.

Dec '08 Hogs Daily Chart
HOGS
Dec '08 hogs started the morning strong and then fell apart. Depending on the weekly close tomorrow, the weekly chart is showing signs of warning if one is short. This is not a recommendation to exit any hedges, it is just an observation, I still need to see a close tomorrow. Well, the range I talked about sideways range I talked about yesterday, $64.30 - $67.50 was actually proven today. I didn't expect to meet both objectives in one day but the thought was accurate. The high in Dec '08 hogs (Globex hogs) today was $67.30 and the low was $64.22, very close to the numbers I spoke of yesterday.
I am still of the opinion we could be forming a broadening triangle which is a reversal formation. Nothing has been formed or completed, I am just watching it to see how it unfolds. I am still hedged from the mid-$70's and will stay this way until I see fit to adjust my positions to protect equity. I currently have options in place to protect some equity but not all of it. I will wait for a day that we close above a prior day high before I get excited about a rally.
Bottom line - I expect hogs to open better tonight (5:00 PM CST) and possibly test $65.75 in the Dec '08 contract. I don't believe tomorrow is going to fun. I am unsure of which direction I feel the market is going to go. My gut says better because we had a negative day today and it is Friday so there should be position squaring going into the weekend. I will go with a better trade for tomorrow in Dec '08 hogs.
USDA ESTIMATED PORK CARCASS CUTOUT
Based on FOB Omaha carlot pork prices and industry yields.

           Calculations for a 200 lb Pork Carcass
        53-54% lean, 0.65"-0.80" backfat at last rib
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
         Total                   Today's Primal Cutout Values
Date     Loads      Carcass    Loin    Butt   Pic     Rib   Ham  Belly
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
09/18        39.0      76.94   92.94   78.08  59.24  87.63 77.36  80.94
Change :                0.08   -0.12    1.27  -0.18  -0.02 -0.98   1.46
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
National Direct Hog Price Comparison

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :  National   :    Iowa     :   Western   :   Eastern
                :             :  Minnesota  :  Cornbelt   :  Cornbelt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Base Price is the price from which no discounts are subtracted and
   no premiums are added.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BARROWS & GILTS :   .16 hgr   :   .07 hgr   :   .07 lwr   :  1.35 hgr
Negotiated      :             :             :             :
CARCASS BASIS   : 59.00-70.75 : 59.00-70.75 : 59.00-70.75 : 60.00-69.00
185 lb Base Hog :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg
Plant Delivered :    66.46    :    67.55    :    67.40    :    64.83
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Count      :   28,324    :   13,237    :   17,882    :   10,380
==========================================================================
Hurley & Associates believes positions are unique to each person’s risk bearing ability; marketing strategy; and crop conditions, therefore we give no blanket recommendations. The risk of loss in trading commodities can be substantial, therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. NFA Rules require us to advise you that past performance is not indicative of future results, and there is no guarantee that your trading experience will be similar to the past performance.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Hog Comments - 09-16-08 - Everything on the defensive today, do we find support?

Please forgive me if my comments are choppy, I wrote pieces of this throughout the day because of in office software training today. I wanted to make sure I got the post out in a timely fashion.


Dec '08 Corn Daily Chart

CORN 
 Dec '08 corn opened a little better than what overnight suggested this morning but rallied and failed. The failure came around 10:00 AM and didn't look back. The market touched limit lower ($5.32) and bounced for a short period before touching it again. The talk is all about AIG and whether it can sustain its business by finding some liquidity to pump back into the company. The Dow Jones futures opened lower and reached as far as 174.81 lower on its lowest trade price. It found support based on talks the Government MAY help in the AIG situation and the market rallied to as much as 175.71 higher. Needless to say all the markets have been all over today, but hey whats new. Crude oil traded lower during the day trade session for corn and contributed some of the weakness to the corn market as well as the soybean complex.

The market looked attractive to me down limit however reality sets in as I bought my 1/2 position back around $5.54-.55. I had an order in the overnight to purchase the same position at $5.43 but the market only got as low as $5.43 3/4. You know how that goes. : ) Seasonally the corn market bottoms during the end of September and the beginning of October. We will see if this is the case or not this year. We are still hearing the thought of yields being smaller than what the USDA is projecting for a national average. This of course would be friendly to the market but for now we have to many outside forces holding us back.

I haven't changed my long-term view on the corn market which would suggest another run higher sometime during the next few months. I think this is a TREMENDOUS opportunity to protect feed needs for an extended period of time. I would suggest call options because it still opens you up to lower prices. Now, remember I am long corn with some futures and options so I am long the market and am talking my position because I believe it not because I need anyone to support it. It is up to you to decide what is best for your operation and I would suggest you visit with someone you trust to work through your needs and do what is best for you based on your operation, not what you read on the internet! : )

Bottom Line - I feel the market could gap open lower tonight and then reverse and move higher and look for the 50% retracement level of today's move lower. The retracement level should have good resistance if we reach it. The resistance level is $5.48-5.52. The funds sold around 7,000 contracts of corn today.

Dec '08 Meal Daily Chart

MEAL
Dec '08 meal basically slapped me in the face as it dropped below my support point of $325. The one thing I see through all of todays big move lower is a potential buy signal at $324.50 on a STOP order for tomorrow. If the stop is triggered we will need to close above the entry point of the trade otherwise I would not stick with it. I was actually impressed with soybeans and meal today because of the strength it had against limit lower corn. The meal market rallied some around 1:00 PM but failed to hold the rally because corn returned to limit lower.

The Dow Jones was trading around 81 points around lower 1:15 PM today when the Ag markets closed. The Dow Jones closed 145 higher about 30 points off the highs. The US economy/investors needed the rejection of lower prices in the Dow today and the higher close to give the market some hope of better things to come. From a technical prospective, if the Dow Jones holds 10,917 as support tomorrow, we should see a sharp move higher. The technicals are telling me there will be a solution for AIG. Lets see what the news tells us.

Bottom line - I expect meal to be weak on the open in the overnight only to have an early low and a late high. The funds only sold 2,000 contracts of meal today and 5,000 of soybeans. This is not a large amount considering what they could really do. Like I said with corn, I think this is a tremendous opportunity to get coverage in place for soybean meal if you don't already.

Dec '08 Hogs Daily Chart

HOGS
Dec '08 hogs were trading as much as $2.25 lower this morning around 8:00 AM in the globex trade. Once the pit session opened we saw hogs firm and even trade higher in the October contract and as high as .40 lower in the December '08 contract and ultimately settling down .45. The morning cash reports were weak across the board except for the Eastern Cornbelt. The range was from down $.44 to down $3.70 but the national cash price was down $2.83. The US Dollar Index was again both sides of unchanged but ultimately traded higher and stayed their for the last half of the day trading session in hogs.

At this point I don't see a lot that gets me excited about being long or unhedged in this market. I said yesterday I thought there would be buying above yesterday's high of $66.70 which we never got to therefore we didn't see any buying. The cash still feels weak but I would bet the afternoon cash prices will be nowhere near the morning or noon reports.

I will expect to see more weakness tomorrow as we move forward, I need to see a close above a prior day high to get excited about anything to the upside. For now any rally we have will likely be met with good selling as we enter the 4th quarter of 2008. Keep hedges in place if you have them, if you don't put options would be more attractive to me than straight futures because of how far we have dropped the market from its highs.



USDA ESTIMATED PORK CARCASS CUTOUT
Based on FOB Omaha carlot pork prices and industry yields.

        Calculations for a 200 lb Pork Carcass
     53-54% lean, 0.65"-0.80" backfat at last rib
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
      Total                   Today's Primal Cutout Values
Date     Loads      Carcass    Loin    Butt   Pic     Rib   Ham  Belly
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
09/16       135.6      75.96   91.85   77.24  59.30  86.27 76.08  79.48
Change :               -0.24   -1.00   -3.09  -0.27  -0.02  0.29   2.44
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

National Direct Hog Price Comparison

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
             :  National   :    Iowa     :   Western   :   Eastern
             :             :  Minnesota  :  Cornbelt   :  Cornbelt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base Price is the price from which no discounts are subtracted and
no premiums are added.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BARROWS & GILTS :  1.62 lwr   :  2.03 lwr   :  2.01 lwr   :   .47 lwr
Negotiated      :             :             :             :
CARCASS BASIS   : 59.00-71.00 : 60.00-71.00 : 59.00-71.00 : 60.50-68.24
185 lb Base Hog :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg
Plant Delivered :    65.35    :    65.76    :    66.06    :    63.97
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Count      :   25,934    :   11,660    :   16,818    :    8,920
==========================================================================

Hurley & Associates believes positions are unique to each person’s risk bearing ability; marketing strategy; and crop conditions, therefore we give no blanket recommendations. The risk of loss in trading commodities can be substantial, therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. NFA Rules require us to advise you that past performance is not indicative of future results, and there is no guarantee that your trading experience will be similar to the past performance.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Hog Comments - 09-15-08 - Wall Street gets SLAMMED but the Ag sector survives.

Dec '08 Corn Daily Chart
CORN 
Today proved to be an interesting day in the corn market, taking its early action and lower trade the weakness in crude oil and higher trade in the US dollar index.  I said on Friday that I expected the corn market to open higher on Sunday night and eventually trade lower with support coming around $5.48 to $5.44.  The low of the session on Sunday night was $5.45 3/4 which proved to be support for today's trade as well.  I was looking for a place to reenter the positions I exited on Friday at $5.60 but before doing so I wanted to watch the first hour of trade. The first hour proved to be positive as the market gapped lower for the day sessions opening and traded higher into 10:30 AM.  If today had been any other day I may have gotten in prior to 10:30 AM, however, Wall Street taking a major blow over the weekend I wanted to be cautious. 

Merrill Lynch was purchased for $44 billion (I also hear it is now $50 billion) by Bank of America, Lehman Brothers went bankrupt and it saw its stock plunged 95% today.  Lehman Brothers stock price at the end of December 2007 closed at $64.66, its closing price today was $.21. Another financial institution AIG, is also looking for cash to avoid major problems of their own.  It is said the impact of AIG going under is bigger than both Merrill and Lehman.  All of this being said, it made me want to hold on and wait for the 10:30 AM timeframe before making a decision to get back into the market.

Like I said, 10:30 AM showed positive signs but I saw warning signs in the daily chart.  I decided to put my order at $5.60 and then replaced it $5.52 which didn't fill.  I am not convinced corn made its full retracement yet and it is possible to see another test toward $5.48.  I am debating but I may put an order in for $5.48 in the overnight to see if I can get filled.  The reason I think there could be another test of $5.48 is because we closed below the 50% retracement level of todays trade range.  Crude oil is down another $2.00 at $93.71 as I write this (6:43 PM CST) and the Dow Jones dropped over 500 points today.  The Dow Jones was around 300 lower when grains closed today. 

In relationship to the grains, it seems  as though the trade is figuring on a smaller crop than what the USDA projected last Friday, they think it will continue to get smaller as time passes.  I can't disagree but I will also say these crops seem to have 9 lives. 

Bottom line: My thoughts for tomorrow are weaker and probably finding some support toward the middle of day trade and into the close.  This assuming we don't have big negative news on AIG tonight or tomorrow.  Be cautious in this area but make sure you have your feed needs covered in corn.  I would suggest options if you can use them.

Dec '08 Meal Daily Chart
MEAL 
Meal again was the strongest link today.  It looks like meal should be weaker tonight (which it already is) and start finding some support around $325 or so.  I am still looking for meal to test the $347.40 area in the Dec '08 meal contract.  I am posting my comments from Friday because nothing has really changed for me.

I believe this week will bring the opportunity to see $347.40 December meal at some point during the week, with the potential of reaching $353.90. These two numbers are the 50% and 62% retracement levels back to the high of $375 that was made on August 25, 2008. If the market get active next week and rallies to the $375 per ton mark, we would need to close above this level for the week to give us a shot at our old contract highs of $431.90 set on July 11, 2008. I do have to say that I do not expect a close next Friday above $375 per ton in the December contract.

Bottom-line: I expect Dec '08 meal to make an early low tomorrow and a late high.  Make sure you have coverage in soybean meal via options if you can.

Dec '08 Hogs Daily Chart
HOGS 
Dec '08 hogs opened higher today like I suspected and rallied but met little resistance in todays trade.  If the market can make new highs tomorrow I would expect a test of $67.60 in the Dec '08 contract, this would be a 50% retracement back to the recent high of $70.72 made on Sept 3rd, 2008.  The key as usual will be to get a close above a prior day high and that number for tomorrow is $66.70.  Morning/noon cash reports didn't come out today due to more technical issues with the USDA (as I understood it) but the afternoon numbers were lower across the board.  Cutout was higher by $.46 which is good considering the recent move higher in the US Dollar Index.

The US Dollar Index was lower today as well because of the Wall Street fallout but not before trading both sides of unchanged today and with some excellent volatility.  It is difficult to even give a Dollar Index quote over the phone because it changes so fast and so far.  It was moving 40 points at a time in some cases through out the day.  As I mentioned last week, if we close this week below 78.22 in the US Dollar Index we could see more selling come into play.

Bottom line: Tomorrow I expect hogs to be better early because of increased margins today for the packers.  Like I said cash was lower and cutout slightly higher.  I don't expect fireworks to the upside tomorrow but I would expect buying above todays high of $66.70 (electronic pit).

USDA ESTIMATED PORK CARCASS CUTOUT
Based on FOB Omaha carlot pork prices and industry yields.

           Calculations for a 200 lb Pork Carcass
        53-54% lean, 0.65"-0.80" backfat at last rib
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
         Total                   Today's Primal Cutout Values
Date     Loads      Carcass    Loin    Butt   Pic     Rib   Ham  Belly
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
09/15        87.5      76.20   92.85   80.33  59.57  86.29 75.79  77.04
Change :                0.46   -0.70    0.79  -2.76  -2.58  2.86   1.44
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
National Direct Hog Price Comparison

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                :  National   :    Iowa     :   Western   :   Eastern
                :             :  Minnesota  :  Cornbelt   :  Cornbelt
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Base Price is the price from which no discounts are subtracted and
   no premiums are added.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BARROWS & GILTS :  1.28 lwr   :  1.09 lwr   :  1.45 lwr   :  1.98 lwr
Negotiated      :             :             :             :
CARCASS BASIS   : 60.75-72.00 : 60.75-72.00 : 60.75-72.00 : 61.50-68.92
185 lb Base Hog :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg   :   wtd avg
Plant Delivered :    66.65    :    67.66    :    67.95    :    64.38
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Count      :   24,567    :   11,707    :   15,621    :    8,926
==========================================================================
Hurley & Associates believes positions are unique to each person’s risk bearing ability; marketing strategy; and crop conditions, therefore we give no blanket recommendations. The risk of loss in trading commodities can be substantial, therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in light of your financial condition. NFA Rules require us to advise you that past performance is not indicative of future results, and there is no guarantee that your trading experience will be similar to the past performance.