Although news of an explosion and fire in a Freeport liquified natural gas (LNG) loading terminal off the coast of Texas would initially appear bullish, in-depth analysis would suggest that the event has instead shifted the momentum of the domestic natural gas market. The [...]
USDA’s recent transportation cost index update shows barge freight rates for grain are down by almost 50 percent from sky-high values seen in March, while grain trucking costs are still close to May’s record level. Rail costs are also around the May average and [...]
Futures activity May-22 corn closed near $7.90 per bushel last Friday, up more than 25 cents from Monday. The Dec-22 harvest contract closed at $7.35 per bushel. The general lack of spread among 2022/23 contracts may be reflecting the market’s uncertainty over corn for [...]
An increasingly common complaint of shippers lately has been availability and pricing for export containers. Many lanes, in particular those to the Far East, have risen dramatically by as much as 300 percent over the past three years, and finding sufficient empty containers is [...]
Commodity inflation has been challenging enough over the past year, but supply chain issues have multiplied the increase through higher direct costs as well as premiums associated with receiving the product on time. Sourcing U.S.-produced goods may help to soften the impact, but even [...]
