Brian Wittal

Jan. 20 — The big surprise today was the unexpected, aggressive move by the U.S. dollar to jump more than a full cent in trading today, which shocked markets and took a bit of a toll across all markets. This in turn sent the Canadian dollar lower by 1.5 cents today. Gold, crude oil and […] Read more

Jan. 18 — A very quiet market day, as the U.S. markets are closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Canadian dollar climbed 0.42 cents to close at US97.5 cents today.   Canola closed down $4-$5.20 per tonne today. Western barley closed down $2, at $150 per tonne. With no guidance from the U.S. […] Read more

Jan. 15 –– Outside markets were all lower today with gold, crude oil and financial indicators all taking some rather hard hits to finish off the week. This, along with continued speculative selling pressure, pushed grains lower on the day and the week The U.S. dollar index climbed 44-100ths of a cent today. Gold closed […] Read more

Jan. 14 — Outside markets were steady to up, with gold and financial indicators all up slightly. Crude oil was down again today, as were the grains in the U.S. and Canada, mainly due to lower-than-targeted weekly sales and export numbers that did nothing to inspire confidence in the trade today. The U.S. dollar index […] Read more

Jan. 13 — Outside markets showed some rebound today with gold and financial indicators up slightly. Crude oil was down again today and grains were mixed, with corn down and wheat and beans up modestly. The U.S. dollar index fell 11-100ths of a cent today, while gold closed up $7.50 at $1,136.40. The Canadian dollar […] Read more

Jan. 12 –– All outside markets are down today, most likely in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s reports and the hard sell-off in U.S. grain futures.  The U.S. dollar index fell nine-100ths of a cent today, while gold closed down $21.80 at $1,128.90. The Canadian dollar dropped 0.44 cents to close at US96.36 […] Read more

Jan. 11 –– Outside markets were active today, with gold and financial indicators up while the U.S. dollar and crude oil were down on the day. Grains were active in advance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s report coming out tomorrow. The USDA report will include the annual crop production report, supply and demand reports […] Read more

Jan. 8 — Outside markets were rather quiet but steady to up on the day. The U.S. dollar index fell back 42-100ths of a cent today. Gold closed up $5.10 at $1,138.20, up $43 this week. The Canadian dollar rose 0.23 cents to close at US96.93 cents today, up 1.29 cents this week. The Dow […] Read more

Jan. 7 — Outside markets were mixed to lower as the U.S. dollar rose almost half a cent today, pressuring energy and grain futures lower. Announcements out of China of an interest rate hike also impacted beans, as buyers’ costs to borrow will go up, which will have a direct impact on sales going forward. […] Read more