by Phil Streible
On March 10, 2010 the USDA released its monthly crop production report indicating that carryout for this year’s soybean crop would be at 190 million bushels, down from last months estimate of 210 million bushels. Analysts were widely expecting a range of 194 to 196 million bushels. The USDA also cut production figures [...]

by Aaron Fennell
Many traders want to get into the market, but have a difficult time finding the right opportunity to get in at the desired price. If you place a limit order, it might not get hit. And even if you do have a position on, it can get stopped out due to volatility. Even [...]

Daylight Savings Adjustment at NYSE Liffe March 15 – 26, 2010
This weekend the U.S. will “spring ahead” to Daylight Savings Time while the time will not change in London and Europe until March 28, 2010. During the three week period from March 15 - March 26, NYSE Liffe announced that the 1:00 a.m. London opening [...]

by Gord Wiesemann
The equity markets certainly took the February U.S. employment report as a green light to buy, as the unemployment rate held steady at 9.7 percent and non-farm payrolls were a bit better than expected, falling 36,000.  However, if commodity prices start getting ahead of themselves, the Federal Reserve is going to find themselves [...]

by Drew Shaw
At its March 2 policy meeting, the Bank of Canada (BOC) maintained its benchmark short-term interest rate at an all-time low of 0.25 percent. It’s been at this level since April 2009, and is not expected to change until the end of the second quarter of this year. The BOC said that the [...]

by Mike Sabo
Gold saw a resurgence on Tuesday, February 16 after a period of consolidation, as April gold futures posted their biggest one-day gain in three months, closing above $1,119 an ounce. If you are bullish gold but a little leery of buying futures given the volatility in this market, an options ratio spread might [...]

Gold has surged today, up about $29 an ounce in late afternoon trade, the biggest gain in more than three months. Lind-Waldock Senior Market Strategist Richard Ilczyszyn gave his thoughts on gold and the euro on Canada’s BNN tv today. He said in addition to the latest developments out of Greece and a drop [...]

by Aaron Fennell
The disheartening events taking place in Greece over the past few weeks have been a setback to the global financial recovery. You might be surprised  to learn that Greece’s debt-to-GDP ratio isn’t actually the highest in the Eurozone. It’s interesting to compare countries’ debt-to-GDP ratios, and see how dire the situation really is. [...]

What follows is a consolidated schedule for trading on some of the most popular North American futures markets for the Presidents’ Day 2010 holiday.

by Aaron Fennell
It’s been a challenging few weeks for commodities traders. There has been a flight to the U.S. dollar, which has caused corrections in many commodities, particularly gold. The Canadian dollar has been pressing lower and futures broke support at 94c last week. However, I think there are reasons to be bullish both markets, [...]