Philip Luce

2 min read

Shifting from Inverse to Carry Markets

Reviewing the fundamentals of the basis trading environment The 2023-24 crop year was a transition away from inversion and into carry for corn and soybeans, which typically involves some of the characteristics of both types of markets. What is...

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1 min read

Getting Your Merchandising Season Off to a Good Start

As you get your facilities in top shape for the fall harvest, don’t overlook doing the same for your merchandising. A little bit of pre-harvest...

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1 min read

What Are “Basis Eyes” and Why Are They So Important?

There are several different ways to say it, but at the core having basis eyes means

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2 min read

Is Deferred Price the Answer?

A big drop in prices has farmers understandably reluctant to sell, but the grain industry still needs to grind, process, ship, and otherwise do what...

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thumbs up at producer meeting

1 min read

Attitude Is Important to Grain Buying

I was recently talking to someone who buys 90% of the grain that crosses the scales; some spot and some forward contracted. The approach is nothing...

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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...

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normal to new normal image

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”...

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1 min read

5 Keys for Survival in a Flat or Inverted Spread Environment

Most merchandisers don’t enjoy trading markets with small carries and/or inverted spreads, but by all appearances, that is what the market is going...

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1 min read

Is the Grain Elevator Business Model Broken?

Let Me Give Away the Ending: No Despite years of articles predicting the irrelevance of the country elevator, it continues to be an important part of...

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