A Tale of Two Big Agricultural Industries: Protein Producers Win and Farm Equipment Manufacturers Lose After Recent USDA Report

Image Shown: The tale of two big agricultural companies in one chart, with shares of poultry producer Sanderson Farms Inc (SAFM) shooting up on Monday, August 12, as chicken feed prices fell after a recent USDA report (which sent corn prices sharply lower) while shares of agricultural equipment manufacturer AGCO Corporation (AGCO) tanked as the market priced in continued pressure on US farm incomes and the dynamic impact that has on demand for farm equipment. By Callum Turcan On August 12, the USDA released a report that stated US farmers had planted more corn than expected at 90 million acres (2.6% higher than consensus estimates) and that forecasted corn yields were also higher than expected at 169.5 bushels an acre … Read more

The Under-reported Story: The Presence of Avian Influenza May Be the “New Norm”

Source: Cal-Maine, Valuentum estimates; Urner-Barry Southeastern Regional Large Egg Market Price (per dozen eggs) Egg prices are soaring as the avian flu has run rampant across farms in Midwestern states. According to some studies, the outbreak has reduced the national flock by more than 10%, and it is the largest outbreak on record in US history. Egg prices are the highest they’ve been in some time, and investors may not be fully aware of the implications. A state of emergency has been declared in Iowa, where the impact may be the worst. Scientists believe the virus may recede as temperatures in the Midwest increase, but every company in the food products industry, big or small, is being impacted at the … Read more

Stock Market Outlook for 2021

By Valuentum Analysts February 8, 2021 2020 was one for the history books. We covered our thoughts and reflections on the past year in our “2020 Won’t Soon Be Forgotten” article (link here), and now we are looking towards the future. Global health authorities should be able to bring an end to the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic sooner than many had expected as several vaccines have already been improved for emergency use and several others appear increasingly likely to get approved. Global vaccine distribution activities are currently underway, and this should allow the world to slowly return to pre-pandemic activities. Before then, immense stimulus measures launched primarily in developed nations should support global economic activities until the public health crisis … Read more