1 min read
Keep Your Long Futures in the Nearby and Your Short Futures in the Deferred
Old Advice for Current Times I first heard this maxim about 25 years ago, and it wasn't new then. The person who shared it with me learned from an...
Basis Trading
3 min read
Use Old Skills and a New Approach to Navigate Volatile Markets
The volatility in production, futures prices, basis, and spreads of the last few years have caused many of us to abandon the idea of a “normal”...
4 min read
Merchandising: What's the Worst that Could Happen?
As the season of fall harvest planning is upon us, let us take a moment to review the idea, and the reality, of the importance of having a grain flow...
4 min read
4 Grain Market Indicators to Watch
Knowing your grain company is key to navigating the change between carry and inverted markets Differing views on how to define transitions exist....
1 min read
Balancing Act
Phil Luce: Jan 5, 2022
Weighing the Market's Needs with Those of Your Business
3 min read
Taking Control of Grain Merchandising
Market conditions may be out of a merchandiser's control, but steps can be made to tip the scales in their favor. I believe merchandising grain and...
1 min read
Watch Those Emotions: When Markets Get Weird, Get Calm.
Phil Luce: Mar 25, 2021
Unmet expectations are the springboard for all kinds of human problems. When things don't go as expected, the likelihood of becoming irrational or...
1 min read
Focus Your Energy Where Your Margins Come From
The country elevator is in an enviable position to serve as a price neutral conduit for grain from producers to end users. In order for this to work,...
2 min read
Basis Trading Starts with Balance
A good basis trader will spend an entire career refining his/her basis trading knowledge and skills. However, every principle of basis trading is...
1 min read
The Basis Trader's Rules
Sherry Lorton: Jun 16, 2020
I ran across this in my favorites folder the other day. I thought it a worthy reminder of how being successful in the grain elevator business is...