Afternoon Summary: As Tuesday unfolded, the most common topic of discussion was diesel fuel. To set the stage, the spot-month futures contract rallied as much as 32.25 cents, hitting a [...]

Afternoon Summary: Well, that was an interesting way to start the week. A day that would’ve been more fitting last week, with its US holiday, a Manic Monday and Turnaround [...]

Afternoon Summary: “Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Taking a break from all your worries sure would be a lot. Wouldn’t you like to get [...]

Afternoon Summary: When I say today was a Throwaway Thursday, I don’t mean markets were dull, just that some of the moves didn’t mean anything. As you can guess, that [...]

Afternoon Summary: When so much else seems to be a daily toss-up, it’s nice to know there is a constant on which we can rely. A look at the Barchart [...]

Afternoon Summary: It was interesting to watch the commodity complex as the early Manic markets morphed into typical Turnaround Tuesday activity. Recall WTI crude oil rallied as much as $3.25 [...]

Afternoon Summary: We can close the books on this week’s trade, mostly, and head to the local watering hole to either relive or attempt to forget all that has happened. [...]

Afternoon Summary: As we reach the end of another Thirsty Thursday, it’s appropriate to quote my late friend and longtime CBOT floor reporter Gary Wilhelmi again. Gary told me many [...]

Afternoon Summary: On the normal weekly calendar, Wednesday has a number of nicknames including Watson (for the beginning of the new noncommercial positioning week), Wheat (because Wednesday can be a [...]

Afternoon Summary: As I sat down to write Afternoon Commentary this first day of meteorological fall, Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ came up randomly on my playlist. Perfect timing, as I [...]

Afternoon Summary: The final closing bells of August are ringing out across the commodity complex, the melancholy peals allowing us a moment of Market Meteorological Musing this Monday afternoon. What [...]

Afternoon Summary: A young friend in the analysis industry asked me if I had ever seen a week like this. I’m sure somewhere along the road of the past 40-some [...]

Afternoon Summary: I keep telling myself to talk about something else. Constantly pointing out the deepening stupidity doesn’t do anyone any good. Outside of my latest Weekly Column, I have [...]

Afternoon Summary: Around noon, a friend from central Nebraska called with a single question, “Was all this due to Watson?!” Keep in mind this is a Wednesday, the first day [...]

Afternoon Summary: As I sat down to write today’s Afternoon Commentary, my wife sent me the news Dolly Parton had passed away at the age of 80. Ms. Parton was [...]

Afternoon Summary: As we all know by now, the US president is threatening an all-out Trade War with the country’s number one trade partner Canada. This threat includes tariffs of [...]

Afternoon Summary: Well, today did indeed turn out to be a Frantic Friday. Where to start? How about out in the Barn. Both cattle markets fell hard on the open [...]

Afternoon Summary: Thursday was an interesting session, to say the least. And if you were one who lived and died with the ebb and flow of whatever market you were [...]

Afternoon Summary: A friend from central Nebraska called around midday. He was wondering if the rally in the commodity complex was due to the news from the US Treasury this [...]

Afternoon Summary: If I were to summarize Tuesday’s session for the commodity complex with one phrase it would be, “Some turned, some didn’t”. In the end, there didn’t seem to [...]

Afternoon Summary: It wasn’t hard to figure out what happened Monday. A quick look at the quote screen showed me soybeans were up 25.0 cents, at a time when rain [...]

Afternoon Summary: It was a tough day out in the Barn Friday, likely due to algorithms overreacting to news that Tyson Foods is rearranging some of its US production capabilities. [...]

Afternoon Summary: I’m not sure why, but as I sat down to write today’s Afternoon Commentary, the old phrase, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too” came to [...]

Afternoon Summary: Around mid-morning, my friend in the brokerage industry sent me a message that read, “After the nonsense at 11 we can go back to talking early freeze.” I [...]

Afternoon Summary: Yes, I know Wednesday brings with it the latest round of USDA WASDE nonsense, with the set of numbers hyped as “market moving”. (Note these reports are not [...]