Farm Progress

Funds dump crops all around

Big speculators sold everything from corn to cotton this week.

Bryce Knorr 1, Senior Market Analyst, Farm Futures

June 23, 2018

2 Min Read

The impact of trade tensions with China rippled through the commodity market this week, affecting just about everything U.S. farmers put into the ground.

Here’s what funds were up to through Tuesday, June 19, when the CFTC collected data for its latest Commitment of Traders put out on Friday.

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Stick a fork in it
Big speculators slashed bullish bets on agriculture by 158,446 net contracts this week, moving closer to a net short position. These hedge funds sold crops across the board, but bought livestock. Index funds used by investors to gain access to commodities were buyers, adding 41,261 contracts to their net long position.

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Down but not out
Big speculators were big sellers of corn this week, liquidating a net 49,460 contracts. That left them long only 35,003, their smallest bullish bet since February.

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China syndrome
After turning bearish on soybeans last week, big speculators doubled down on bearish bets, adding 40,948 contracts to their net short position as of Tuesday.

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Oil slick
Big speculators sold another 17,513 net contracts in soybean oil this week, extending their bearish bet to its most extreme level since February 2014.

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Holding on
Soybean meal saw more selling this week but big speculators weren’t very aggressive, dumping only 3,616 contracts off their net long position. The hedge funds are still long 82,948 contracts.

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Close but no cigar
Last week funds looked like they might finally be ready to go long on soft red winter wheat for the first time in more than four years. Instead, big speculators started selling again, adding 25,044 contracts to their net short position.

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Hard place
Big speculators built bullish bets in hard red winter wheat to their highest level of the year in June. But they trimmed that net long position this week, selling 11,176 contracts as the markets broke.

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Down time
After flipping to a net short position in spring wheat earlier this month, large traders put the pedal to the metal this week, increasing bearish bets by 4,000 lots to the most extreme level since September 2016.

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Waiting for OPEC
Money managers sold a little crude oil into the latest report on inventories, waiting for today’s decision on OPEC to raise production. Crude oil rallied after the cartel’s move, with funds likely in pursuit.

 

About the Author(s)

Bryce Knorr 1

Senior Market Analyst, Farm Futures

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