Grains were lower overnight while crude oil continued to reach fresh highs since its low in January.
Rains were fairly common over the US grain belt over the weekend as a quarter to a half inch of rain hit most of the key growing regions. After a cold start to the week (record cold for some) temperatures will warm across the Plains, Corn Belt and East and moisture will remain plentiful. Temperatures are expected to surge to above normal later this week and continue “warm” next week too across the Plains and Corn Belt.
A one-day strike at the Rosario grains export hub in Argentina ended on Friday after the government compelled union and company officials to enter into wage negotiations for 15 days, a union leader said. The strike began at midnight local time and ended around noon after the union agreed to the government mandate for a "reconciliation" period to settle the dispute.
Soybean prices have floundered in recent sessions as expectations that farmers are switching planting intentions to beans and away from corn. There are expectations the USDA's June 30 acreage report could show a shift of 1-2 million acres from corn into soybeans, compared with the government's March 31 planting intentions report.
Crude oil prices are on the upswing to start the trading week as markets shrug off initial negativity in the wake of soft data from China reported over the weekend. China’s domestic oil production dropped 5.6 percent from a year ago to 16.59 million metric tons in April, the steepest slide since November 2011, according to government data released Saturday. The trend is likely to worsen in the months ahead and, along with U.S. production declines, will help re-balance the global oil market later this year.
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