Brian Wittal

Our daily online grain marketing columnist Brian Wittal welcomes feedback and information on market conditions in your area, such as current offering prices, basis levels, trucking premiums and special crops contracts. Contact Brian today. Feb. 23 — A rough day in the financial markets, with the Dow Jones falling to lows not seen since October […] Read more

Markets were mixed to steady today with financial markets off slightly, the U.S. dollar down and crude oil up almost $5 a barrel to US$39.48. The Canadian dollar was up slightly for the day, closing at US79.65 cents. U.S. grains posted modest gains for the day with wheat leading the way. Canola is considered to […] Read more

Feb. 18 — It was a lacklustre trading day today. Financial markets were mixed to down slightly, the American dollar fell back a little and crude oil dropped 31 cents a barrel, closing at US$34.62. The Canadian dollar rose 0.37 cents today and closed at US79.47 cents. Grains tried to start off the day with […] Read more

Feb. 17 — Well, the long weekend didn’t improve the mood of the markets, that’s for sure. Financial markets were down hard today and that, along with the U.S. dollar rising sharply and crude falling, sent grain markets into a tailspin. This was primarily due to speculators liquidating contracts for profits in the wake of […] Read more

Feb. 13 — Markets were a little more active today but not for the better. March crude oil futures jumped $3.53 a barrel to close at US$37.45. This was probably more due to the fact that the March contract is nearing expiry than anything else. April crude was down 20 cents a barrel, closing at […] Read more

Feb. 12 — Another nondescript trading day, with no real news to push markets either way. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly export numbers were favourable, which helped to support grains at these current levels, but not enough to push markets upward. Crude was off hard again and that pushed oilseeds lower. Traders are looking […] Read more

Feb. 11 — Markets have refocused on supply and demand and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports confirming large supplies on hand and slow export sales so far this year, traders are becoming a little more bearish toward the grains. Speculative buyers are not real excited about commodities right now and are standing on […] Read more

Feb. 10 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s report held no big surprises and overall it was seen as neutral for beans and wheat and slightly negative for corn. Financial markets fell today due to mixed response to the U.S. financial aid package being proposed. The grain markets started the day off with a positive […] Read more

Feb. 9 — Grain futures started off with a strong upward push this morning, then fell off the highs again, but did finish up overall for the day. Corn was up two to six cents a bushel, beans were up one to three cents a bushel, wheat was up eight to 10 cents a bushel, […] Read more

Feb. 6 — Grain futures have finished out the week mostly on a positive note, which is always a good sign. All grains were up strong to start the day, but then fell off the highs once again, but most grains did close with gains, which is a good sign of optimism going into next […] Read more