Soybean Rises To Six-Year-High On Foreign Demand

Soybean prices rose to end the trading week on increasing foreign demand and worries about South American weather and domestic inventories. If market estimates are correct, soybean could affect the commodities growth in 2021.

January soybean futures ended the Friday trading session up $0.2075, or 1.73%, to $12.22 per bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBoT). Soybeans posted a weekly ahead of 5.2%, continuing to their year-to-date rally of almost 28%. This is the most excellent soybean prices have been following 2014.

Industry watchers caution that US soybean inventories contract due to rising demand from US processors and Chinese importers. Foreign buyers are taking hold of a weakening dollar, which presents dollar-pegged commodities more affordable to buy. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that China is already purchasing next year’s soybean crop. They take about 126,000 tons that will not be shipped till after the 2020–2021 marketing season is closed.

Beijing is still likely to purchase a particular quantity of soybeans following the US’s phase-one trade agreement. China has picked up with the terms inside the pact in the second half of 2020. Will it extend to import more further in 2021?

Market observers think that Beijing does not recognize if Brazil’s harvest will be significant enough to meet demand

As an outcome, they are shifting to American farmers for their soybean needs. Nevertheless, the USDA did not alter its prediction for Brazilian output, foretelling that production will still touch 133 million metric tons throughout the next harvest.

Weather conditions in South America added to soybean’s weekly rally. Brazilian and Argentine crops have entered a delay among dryness in both important growth areas. Although Brazil has witnessed some rainfall in current days, traders on the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange endure caution about the drought’s impacts at the start of the growing season.

Although the dollar traded higher on Friday, the US Dollar Index (DXY), which measures the dollar versus a basket of currencies, dropped 1% this week. A more moderate dollar is suitable for commodities valued in dollars because it is more affordable for foreign investors. This has been one cause why agriculture has been growing in 2020 and why it could sustain this trend in 2021.

In other agricultural commodities, January corn futures totaled $0.045, or 1.04%, to $4.37 per pound. January wheat futures fell $0.0075, or 0.12%, to $6.08 a bushel. January coffee futures slipped $0.0035, or 0.28%, to $1.256 per pound.