The overnight trade is starting the month of December with renewed hopes that December of 2012 will give a Christmas present like the December of 2011. The beans are already +20, meal has gained $5, oil has posted gains of 70 points, corn is pushing 10 higher and wheat is also +10-12.
Oil prices are likely to hold within their relatively sideways direction in the near-term, as support from a weaker dollar is countered by uncertainty over the fiscal cliff. WTI had a nice bounce early in the session yesterday but fell back to close near the day’s low
Daily Energy Report – The selloff in oil prices yesterday almost fully unwound the rally made on Monday as the buildup of fear subsided.
Welcomes to today’s Morning Coffee Break – U.S. markets are coming of the largest single day gains since early September. Depending on which analysts have the airways the move was due to an extreme oversold condition while others point to the growing confidence in a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.
Oil prices have held within a roughly $2.50/bbl trading range in the past seven days since the initial post-election $4.27/bbl washout on Nov 7th. While the Israel/Gaza conflict has been supportive for the market, it has only been a factor in the last two days of last week.
Oil prices may continue to fall in the near-term, with WTI potentially reaching $80.00 over the next few weeks. December WTI will expire today, and could lead to a similarly lopsided trade as yesterday’s expiration of December Brent.
The overnight markets are starting to show signs of life again, but considering the bean market is down nearly 10% since the first of the month things are just trying to get its footing again before it starts to run.
A mid-morning attack by Israel of a Hamas leader yesterday sent the oil market higher, but unless the tensions escalate in the near-term, we would anticipate prices to continue moving lower
Natural Gas traded sharply higher settling $3.739 up $0.169, 4.5%. The curve was much firmer 13/17 $0.09 tighter. Hub cash was firmer, ~$0.11 back this morning, Z-6 up $0.30 to $4.00. Algonquin traded up to $8.75 this morning, highest spot price of the year.
Breaking News – Retail Sales and October Producer Price Index (PPI)
