RaboResearch Agri Commodities

Carlos Mera and Oran van Dort discuss the spike in coffee prices. Despite so many factors affecting the coffee market in the last couple of years, global exports in the 12 months to August remained remarkably stable. A significant drop in Brazilian exports is being offset by increases in a number of countries, from large producers like Vietnam and Colombia to tiny Madagascar. Looking at the 2026/27 crop year, we expect a large global surplus, assuming more or less normal weather ahead, but in the short term, we expect high volatility. Brazil's arabica areas need more rainfall in the second half of October to secure a good production recovery next season, but also, certified stocks are declining, partially as an unintended consequence of US tariffs.

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Join Carlos Mera and Charles Hart as they unpack the USDA's June WASDE report in the latest ACMR podcast. At first – and even second – glance, this month's WASDE might seem like a nonevent. The absence of revisions to major forecasts was conspicuous, but the changes that the USDA did not make are where the report's significance lies. We'll examine the department's current harvest outlooks for several major wheat producers, including the EU, Canada, and the US, and why the US corn and soybean balance sheets were left unchanged – except for an anticipated bump in corn exports in 2024/25. The USDA's modeling of crop yields will ensure the market keeps a close eye on weather conditions in the months ahead, while the soybean export forecast for the new season will continue to be debated amid a volatile US-China relationship. Weather risks to crop prospects in Argentina and Ukraine are also discussed before the episode closes with an initial view on how Israel's recent strikes on Iran could affect agricultural commodities markets.

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The second half of November saw coffee prices igniting, with arabica prices pushing well past USD 3/lb, a level not seen since 1977, and robusta prices breaking all-time records. Arabica prices have increased 109% over the last twelve months. Meanwhile, robusta prices, which have been elevated since the Houthi-induced Red Sea disruptions last December, have risen 92% in the last year and an astronomical 237% over the last five years. Join Carlos Mera and Oran van Dort as they discuss the supply and demand fundamentals behind the recent price surge.

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The cocoa rally shows no signs of slowing, with the London March24 contract up 58% YTD. Meanwhile, the New York contract set a new all-time high in the first half of February, surpassing, in nominal terms, the previous record set in 1977. Since then, prices have moved 20% higher! In this podcast, we discuss the factors contributing to this unprecedented price rally. In our view, recent price action is fundamentally driven by systemic production issues in West Africa that have led to an enormous supply deficit, the third in a row. Current market dynamics are incomparable to prior seasons, thus creating enormous panic among market participants.

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Last Friday the USDA released a catalogue of data: the January WASDE, quarterly grain stocks, and Winter Wheat and Canola Seedings. The releases were largely bearish and confirmed the views held in our 2024 outlook (Buyers sail home on rising supplies) of higher-than-expected production and weaker demand. Consumers who have been disciplined are now being rewarded in terms of lower global G&O prices.

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Join Rabobank's Agri Commodity Markets Research team for a deep dive into grain and oilseed markets. Since our bearish 2024 outlook was published on November 15, grain and oilseed prices have slid as bargaining power continues to shift from farmers to consumers.

North American 2023 grain harvests are set to outpace demand and pad stockpiles, encouraging funds to take on heavy short positions. The risk premium is now largely in soybeans and South America, where more conducive weather (Brazil) and politics (Argentina) promise to deliver large supplies in 2024 and beyond.

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The October WASDE was viewed as a bullish report by the market, with corn, soy, and wheat futures all rising following its release. For corn in particular, it was higher old crop feed demand that caught the market by surprise. Meanwhile, for wheat markets, we saw 2023/24 estimations for both global production and trade trimmed.

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Since the start of the year we have seen simultaneous rallies in sugar (+15%), cocoa (+28%), and robusta coffee (+47%). This is rather unusual given these three commodities have very different fundamentals and are produced in very different countries. The threat of El Niño-related weather challenges is the one common element that has led to speculators increasing their long bets across these three commodities. In this podcast, commodity analysts Paul Joules and Carlos Mera discuss the outlook going forward.

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With minimum alterations for most countries, the April WASDE's main talking point was cuts in Argentine production for soybeans, wheat, and corn amid the ongoing drought. As these cuts were expected, we saw little price action following the report's release. Eyes will now turn to next month's WASDE, which will provide the first estimates of the 2023/24 season.

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Join Carlos Mera and Michael Magdovitz for a look at the year ahead in ACMR's latest podcast. 2022 held unprecedented volatility for agricultural commodity markets, from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to La Niña drought across South America. Consumers suffered through a third year of an agricultural bull market. It could very well be the last. Rabobank expects broad-based price relief in 2023 as weak consumer demand and more normal weather combine to revive supplies.

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