Business

If grain traders were hoping the U.S.-China summit would deliver a clean, bullish headline to start the week, they didn’t get it. Monday’s trade was a reminder that markets can sell the news, or, in this case, sell the lack of news.

One of my favorite subjects at school became maths but not until after grade 9 when I was able to choose the subjects I studied each year. (There were no options up until then.

Grain markets kicked off the week with a little more life, and for once, harvest pressure was not the only story in town. Monday’s session brought solid gains across corn, soybeans and wheat, helped by strong export numbers, weather-related harvest delays and renewed optimism surrounding U.

As both of my regular readers know, the question of how best to deal with the huge numbers of people who have illegally entered the United States in recent years is both contentions and highly divisive.

The grain markets finally have a little more spring in their step heading into the second half of August. After spending much of the summer wrestling with expectations for big crops and plenty of supplies, corn, soybeans and wheat all found reasons to move higher Monday.

If there is one word that probably describes the grain markets heading into Wednesday, it is waiting. The market has been very quiet throughout the last several sessions, but traders have been positioning ahead of USDA’s August Crop Production and WASDE reports, and with the first survey-based yield estimates of the season arriving, there is plenty of room for the market to move once the numbers hit.

I can’t believe we have already flipped the calendar to August. July was here and gone in the blink of an eye, but it sure brought its fair share of volatility to the markets.

Because I know relatively little about the 1950s, a gap in my knowledge base but probably not for either of my two regular readers, I’m currently absorbed in a book entitled “The Age of Eisenhower: America and the world in the 1950s” by William I. Hitchcock.

At just 15 years old, Harry Lynch has already spent three years building a dependable local business—and a savings account for his first car.

Late July is living up to its reputation: HOT weather, plenty of market chatter, and enough uncertainty to keep everyone checking forecasts and futures prices before breakfast. After enjoying a weather-driven rally earlier this month, grain markets took a step back this week as traders shifted their attention from crop concerns to geopolitics and outside markets.

The grain markets are finding themselves at an interesting crossroads as we head into the heart of July. After last week’s USDA reports gave traders plenty to digest, the market’s attention has quickly shifted back to weather, global politics, and export demand.

After spending much of the past few weeks on the defensive, the grain markets finally found something to get excited about. Weather concerns, renewed optimism surrounding trade with China and another round of aggressive fund buying combined to give corn, soybeans and wheat a much-needed rally heading into the second full week of July.

On hot summer days in southeastern Colorado, sometimes the best business idea is also the simplest one, a cold drink, a good location, and a group of kids willing to put in the work.

As we turn the calendar to July, the grain markets find themselves at one of the biggest crossroads of the growing season. Traders entered the week focused almost entirely on USDA’s June acreage and quarterly grain stocks reports, two reports that have a long history of creating fireworks in the futures market.

The Kiowa County Independent is proud to introduce a new feature series, Indy Kids in Business, highlighting young entrepreneurs who are making a difference in our rural communities. From livestock ventures and handmade products to service-based businesses and startups, this series will showcase the ambition, creativity, and hard work of youth across Southeast Colorado.

As the calendar pushes deeper into June, the grain markets continue to wrestle with a familiar seasonal theme: good weather tends to be bearish. That reality has been front and center this week as favorable crop conditions, improving forecasts, and a retreat in energy prices combined to pressure grain futures across the board.