Crude oil consolidates

August Crude Oil Futures have climbed back to $82/brl completing a $10/brl rally from June 4 to June 28. The initial rally was sharp but the last six trading sessions have been sideways with a range of $82-$80. None of the recent trade action is all that uncommon or surprising but it is a crossroads of sorts. The contract high for August crude oil is $85.27/brl set back on April 12 of this year. New contract highs could raise eyebrows and concerns over consumer inflation returning which has recently shown signs of finally retreating.

The great debate

The first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump aired Thursday night and it was … something. The something that it was wasn’t enough to get a reaction from either equities or interest rates as trade was quite through Friday morning. American citizens seem to have plenty of concerns about the future but for now market money is stable which is a plus.

Grain pain

Corn, wheat and soybean futures have all dropped considerably in price through the month of June. June is seasonally a month of volatility with swings in weather and questions of how many acres have been planted. The end of the month is punctuated by the USDA’s Acreage and Grain Stocks report that can sometimes lend insight that starts to answer the unknowns. That report was released on Friday with opposite reactions in corn and soybeans initially, but lower prices overall was the theme of the day. July Corn Futures dropped to $3.90 making a new weekly continuous low not seen since the week of Oct. 16, 2020.