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Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corn. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Hog Comments - Oct hogs take it on the chin.


CORN
If you are having a hard time viewing the charts that I post, all you have to do is click on them to make them larger. Corn FINALLY closed a day above the previous days high which was $6.10 on yesterday's Dec '08 corn close. I am still staying with my thoughts from yesterday that I believe that any rallies we get the market should be met with selling. The numbers I gave yesterday are $6.22, $6.53 and $6.81 all in the Dec '08 contract. The market settled today at $6.13 1/2 and I would expect some buy stops to be triggered tonight and have the market up harder early tonight rather than later. We are not far away from my first target of $6.22 and it sounds as though the Government will not allow CRP acres to come out early this year (released at 1:45 p.m. central time). This news is viewed as bullish but I look at it as big whoop, this story is just something to stick a price rally to. The market is/was severely oversold and needed a recovery. I expect the markets to open better tonight and trade better through tomorrow but again I would expect to see resistance at $6.22 if we can get that high. My strongest resistance number is $6.80 in the Dec '08 contract, that is 50% retracement back to the $7.99 1/4 high we had in late June. Keep protecting feed needs in here!

MEAL
Meal broke early with soybeans and corn for that matter early this morning but mounded a little comeback toward the end of the day. Soybeans and wheat were the weakest link today by far, then meal and finally corn as the leader. I bought meal in Sep when it was down approximately $1.80 and sold it off around up $1.80. I had orders in to sell up at $375.00 but of course the market topped at $374.80, lucky me. I still don't think meal has major upside potential at this point but I don't think it is going to fall out of bed either. I believe meal is going to establish a range and trade within it until the crop report in August. Corn and soybeans feel as if they should be in the same boat. I expect early highs in meal tomorrow (or tonight) and then drift lower as the day proceeds. Again, I will look to buy dips in meal and I will also get long if the market acts in a way that isn't in line with the movement I expect. Keep protecting the upside in meal.

HOGS
Hogs took it on the chin today! The Oct contract was $2.00 lower at one point during the day but managed to rally back and close down $1.10 on the day. Oct '08 hogs touched its 50% retracement level of $71.35 today and bounced off of it. I would expect today's low to be support tomorrow. The market should test this low again to see if it will hold and if it doesn't then we could see $70.65 and then down to the low of $68.25. $72.45 should provide as resistance tomorrow but if we can continually trade above it tomorrow then we try to get up to today's high of $73.75. My feeling is still heavy on the hog market, I think we are living on borrowed time in the cash market. Again as I have said several times this past week; August 4th was the top of last years rally and then it was all downhill from there. I am not making that prediction as much as I am keeping it in mind. I expect a test of today's lows tomorrow.

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
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
07/29 74.9 85.87 100.12 90.80 68.16 96.15 86.18 94.50
Change : 0.57 -0.41 0.11 -0.04 -0.87 -0.16 4.93

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 : .53 lwr : .65 lwr : .75 lwr : .23 lwr
Negotiated : : : :
CARCASS BASIS : 72.25-82.10 : 73.00-82.10 : 73.00-82.10 : 72.25-80.00
185 lb Base Hog : wtd avg : wtd avg : wtd avg : wtd avg
Plant Delivered : 79.41 : 79.90 : 80.00 : 77.93

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, July 22, 2008

Corn still sliding but soybeans and meal thinking differently?


CORN

Corn wanted to follow crude oil today making a charge at new lows when crude would. Soybeans began to firm a bit around 11:00 a.m. which didn’t seem to give corn much of a boost. The market is now below $6.00 in the Dec 08 contract and if we close below the $6.00 level this Friday then we could experience another move lower toward the March low of $5.13 ¼. The positions that I have on for feed lost $07 cents on Friday, .10 cents yesterday and today actually made a .01 cent when the market was down .16 cents. My position should begin to increase in value as the market moves lower and COULD actually make money. I don’t believe I will wait for very long to “try and make money” in this position. If/when it gets to a point of very little overall cost to exit I will lift this position and restructure moving my price ceiling lower with the market. That opportunity is a relatively distant at this point. I will keep you posted.


MEAL

Meal along with soybeans looked like they want to find a bottom in this area. Both meal and soybeans have touched a 50% retracement level from a previous low in the market. Soybeans show more of a bottoming type trade today BUT it is only a bottom if we can close above a previous day’s high which would mean closing tomorrow above $14.24 ½ in the Nov contract. Meal should follow along with soybeans as it did today.


HOGS

Hogs have shown strength again today going into the close. Most of the day was quiet until we hit approximately 11:00 a.m. then we began to rally. Cash still remains strong and cutout is hanging in there to allow for positive fundamental news for traders. August hogs are very close to touching our most recent highs prior to the quarterly hog and pig report on June 27th, 2008. October on the other hand has failed to rally quite like August, it has only gotten approximately 62% of the way back to the most recent high prior to the report. IF we can close the October hogs above $74.00 on Friday, technically we could make a run toward $77.42 (the old high).


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
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
07/22 90.1 84.17 99.65 88.78 66.32 98.16 87.40 84.58
Change : 0.32 -0.42 3.68 0.18 0.07 0.06 0.05

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 : .62 hgr : .75 hgr : .56 hgr : 1.32 hgr
Negotiated : : : :
CARCASS BASIS : 72.50-81.00 : 74.00-81.00 : 73.99-81.00 : 72.50-81.00
185 lb Base Hog : wtd avg : wtd avg : wtd avg : wtd avg
Plant Delivered : 78.40 : 79.24 : 79.14 : 77.20




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 here is no guarantee that your trading experience will be similar to the past performance.

Monday, July 21, 2008

$6.00 support in Dec '08 Corn?



CORN
Well the market decided to take another shot at the $6.00 mark in Dec '08 corn. It has been a projection area for a while and so far it has held. Soybeans weakened going into the close today but corn managed to have mostly steady activity for the last 5 minutes of trade.

I can make an argument that if the market makes new lows tonight or tomorrow and then comes back up through $6.03 1/4 that it would be a buy signal. It wouldn't be a text book signal but none the less it would give a signal. FYI, 2007 Dec corn bottomed on July 23rd last year.

I believe it is still wise to have upside protection in place to cover feed needs as we move forward.

HOGS
Cutout today took a step back in the right direction moving higher by $.74 and cash prices slightly higher as well. Packer margin is still around $5.00/hd and there are no standout signs of cash dropping back just yet. U.S. dollar is still weak and will continue to provide positive influence to the export market. FYI, 2007 October lean hog futures topped out on August 4th last year and we all know what happened after that, a seemingly never ending price decline. The deferred contracts in the summer months of 2009 were down hard earlier in the session today in relationship with declining corn market, however they did make a recovery into the close.

         Total                   Today's Primal Cutout Values
Date Loads Carcass Loin Butt Pic Rib Ham Belly
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
07/21 33.3 83.85 100.07 85.09 66.14 98.09 87.34 84.53
Change : 0.74 -0.87 0.04 2.43 0.29 2.70 unc

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 : 1.23 hgr : .38 hgr : .55 hgr : 2.09 hgr
Negotiated : : : :
CARCASS BASIS : 68.00-81.25 : 69.00-81.25 : 68.00-81.25 : 71.50-80.00
185 lb Base Hog : wtd avg : wtd avg : wtd avg : wtd avg
Plant Delivered : 77.77 : 78.62 : 78.66 : 75.87
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Head Count : 25,288 : 13,558 : 17,199 : 8,067



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 here is no guarantee that your trading experience will be similar to the past performance.