Top 5 Things to Watch
OMAHA (DTN) -- Here are the Top 5 things the DTN Newsroom is tracking for the week of March 1. Watch for coverage of these and other topics throughout the week on our subscription platforms as well as on www.DTNPF.com.
Note that all report release and webinar times are Central Standard Time unless otherwise noted.
1. War and trade wars: The continuation of the weekend's bombing of Iran will likely earn most attention in commodity and fuels markets, as reports continue to come in showing the negative effects of federal tariffs on prices and market confidence.
2. Means to an end: Ag, science and health circles are eyeing the nomination of social media influencer Casey Means as U.S. surgeon general. While most focus has been on Means' opinions on health and medicine, ag circles are sounding alarms on her negative opinions on modern farming inputs such as pesticides, biotech crop seeds and precision ag technologies.
3. U.S. weather ridges: As the week opens, there is a ridge spreading throughout most of the United States with troughs up in Canada and another moving into the Southwest. This will produce waves of precipitation across the middle of the country through the week. Temperatures are likely to be above normal early in the week, then the coming trough should bring through a limited burst of colder air later on.
4. South American conditions: Rain has moved to northern areas of Brazil, allowing for a rapid pace for continued soybean harvest and safrinha (second crop) corn planting. However, the country needs consistent rains since subsoil moisture is lacking. Most of the southern half of the country will be drier this week, but showers may start to fill back in by the weekend. That makes for two consecutive weeks of relative dryness, a sobering sign during this wet season. In Argentina, large-scale dryness during the past week has not been favorable for filling corn and soybeans, adding to the falling conditions during the past two months. This week's forecast favors a couple of fronts to move through, but will favor northern, less productive areas over the more fertile areas in the south and east. Temperatures will be lower this week, however, limiting overall stress.
5. Reports due this week: Monday at 8:45 a.m. we'll see the S&P Final U.S. Manufacturing P.M.I for February. At 9 a.m., ISM Manufacturing data, then Grain Inspections at 10 a.m. At 2 p.m., Cotton data, Fats and Oils, Flour Milling and Grain Crushings. Wednesday reports begin at 7:15 a.m. with ADP Employment, followed by Statistics Canada Principal field crop areas report at 7:30 a.m. At 8:45 a.m., S&P Final U.S. Services P.M.I., ISM Services data at 9 a.m., then at 9:30 EIA's weekly petroleum status, including ethanol production and stocks. At 1 p.m., Fed Beige Book and at 2 p.m., Broiler Hatchery numbers for the week. Thursday at 7:30 a.m., Grain Export Sales, Initial Jobless Claims, U.S. 4th Quarter Productivity, Import Price Index, U.S. Trade Balance and Advanced International Trade in Goods. At 9 a.m. we'll see the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) and at 10:30 a.m., Weekly Economic Index. At 2 p.m., Dairy Products and Slaughter Weekly will be out. Friday at 7:30 a.m., U.S. Employment Report and U.S. Unemployment Rate and U.S. Hourly Wages for February are released. At 2:30 p.m., CFTC's Commitment of Traders report comes out.
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