Recent content by Bartholomews

Markets had a second positive week, ending a modest £2 higher to settle at roughly early January levels and it does look like we have a solid floor in the market for the time being. Buyers may feel they’ve seen the lows for this season and start to increase their activity for spring/summer...

Last Fridays close was £3 higher than the previous week, the first positive week we have had since Christmas. Not a big move and it was difficult to pin a story as to why we got it, Ukraine forecasting lower wheat and corn production for 2023 perhaps. Welcome rains in Argentina were reported and...

Market slipped £6 last week to set a new low for the current move. It’s not the positive mood we were hoping to see in the New Year that’s for sure but at least there is plenty of activity going on. The UK appears to have a gaggle of bigger wheat vessels in the line-up for the next few weeks...

Monday Market Briefing - 16th January 2023 Since the New Year there has been plenty of interest around from both sides of the market but sellers are seemingly reluctant to accept the lower values now on offer particularly for feed grains. On quality markets the large premiums still available...

Growing tensions within Russia served to increase uncertainty, markets have reacted higher and we set three month highs last week. Russia’s huge wheat export surplus could top 50 mln tonnes – removing any lingering doubt that the World has plenty of wheat this year - but how readily this grain...

Nov LIFFE clambered back above the key £260 support level, helped this time by an influential US crop tour which pegged their corn crop some 16 million tonnes lower than the recent USDA estimate. The war in Ukraine appears to be settling into a very protracted affair. Russia has realised gas...

Markets were lower all week and even the rally on Friday couldn’t prevent us from seeing a close for Nov LIFFE below the long-term £260 support level. Rain in the US forecast improved corn sentiment and disappointing economic data for China’s economy did not help. In the short term, this could...

Dare we talk about grain markets starting to look a bit dull ? Not really at this time of year, but it’s a fact wheat futures are now sideways to unchanged for several weeks, daily volatility aside. There are plenty of supply side issues that could eventually drive our markets higher – most of...

Last week saw very heavy buying from the usual International suspects, China and Egypt both bought multiple French cargoes amongst others, helping to drive our markets higher each day right up to Friday. The announcement of the safe corridor for grain exports from the Black Sea was expected, but...

Markets found support after trying to continue the push lower early in the week – we ended Friday at about the same level we were at three weeks ago. After months of upward trend there is a sense we may have found a level of equilibrium for the time being. Deteriorating crop reports...

Over the weekend, India banned wheat exports due to an extended heatwave curtailing output and pushing domestic prices to a record high. Only six weeks ago, Indian exports were thought to fill some of the gap for importing nations (including Egypt) with the absence of Black Sea wheat supply...

With the events in Ukraine curbing grain availability, more than ever the spring planting window in the US continues to be a vital area for cereal production for the coming season. Economics favour corn planting over soybeans, but heavy rainfall across the Midwest (including snow) coupled with...

Markets remain well supported and reached new highs again last week. The war in Ukraine has entered its third month and Russia now appears determined to take control of the country’s entire Black Sea coastline – from west to east. If achieved, this would have severe implications for Ukraine’s...

A quieter tone last week with less tender activity to drive buying, but markets generally held onto the gains of the previous week on old and new crops. We start the new week with sharply lower Currency which will help maintain support for UK prices. Anecdotally we hear that some French and...

Old crop markets found their way to new highs last week as tender activity ran into a general lack of fresh selling to meet the demand. The absence of Ukraine from the market was keenly felt. Egypt, requiring multiple cargoes for May arrival, bought the single Russian shipment on offer before...