Surprising strength seen in soybean prices
URBANA, Ill. (University of Illinois) – The U.S and world soybean situation continues to be one of surplus.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s March 9 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report projected 2015-16 marketing-year-ending stocks of U.S. soybeans at 460 million bushels, 10 mb above the February projection.
The projection of world ending stocks, with stocks for Argentina and Brazil adjusted to an October-September marketing year, was lowered by 57 mb.
According to University of Illinois agricultural economist Darrel Good, those stocks are still expected to be record large.
“At the projected level, U.S. stocks would represent 12.5 percent of projected use for the year,” Good said. “Stocks as a percent of use have been larger on numerous occasions, with a high of 28.5 percent for the 1985-86 marketing year.
“However, stocks at the level projected for this year are considered surplus in light of the record-large South American crop being harvested.”
Soybean prices declined from the summer high as the large U.S. crop unfolded. May 2016 futures have traded in a post-harvest range of $8.535 to $9.175. The price of that contract was near contract lows on March 2, but moved about 40 cents higher by mid-March.
“The modest price strength was somewhat of a surprise,” Good said, “coming in the face of a slowdown in the pace of the domestic crush and the impending large South American harvest.”
Several factors
Good added that the price strength may be attributed to a number of factors.
“The USDA did not increase the forecast size of the South American crop on March 9 as many had expected. The recent strength in the value of the Brazilian currency may also make U.S soybeans a little more competitive in the world market.
“If that strength persists, there will also be less incentive to expand soybean acreage in Brazil in the coming year. In addition, the more widespread discussion of the elevated yield risk for the 2016 soybean crop may be reflected in the recent price strength.”
An additional factor that may be somewhat supportive to soybean prices is the current pace of U.S. soybean exports, Good said.
“The USDA projects 2015-16 marketing-year exports at 1.69 billion bushels,” he said, “unchanged from the February projection and 153 million bushels less than the record exports of last year.
“The export projection was not increased in the March 9 WASDE report even with a 55-million-bushel increase in the projection of imports by China during the current year. That increase is partially offset by smaller import projections for Mexico (7 mb) and the European Union (18 mb). The projection of Brazilian exports was also increased by 37 million bushels.”
With about 25 weeks left in the marketing year, the USDA reports that cumulative marketing-year export inspections for U.S soybeans have reached 1.48 bb, 105 mb less than cumulative inspections of a year ago.
However, cumulative Census Bureau export estimates (which are the estimates eventually reflected in the USDA soybean balance sheet) through the first five months of the current marketing year exceeded inspections by 32 mb.
“A year ago, cumulative Census export estimates through February were only 6 million bushels larger than cumulative inspections,” Good said. “If the 32-million-bushel margin through January has persisted, cumulative exports have now reached 1.512 billion bushels, only 79 million bushels less than the total of a year ago.
“To reach the USDA projection of 1.69 billion bushels for the year, exports during the remainder of the marketing year need to total only 178 million bushels. That is about 74 million bushels less than exports during the same period last year.
“Weekly shipments, then, need to average only about 7.2 million bushels per week to reach the projected total for the year, compared to the average of 10.3 million bushels in the same period last year. Weekly inspections have exceeded those of a year ago in each of the past five weeks.”
New sales
As of March 3, the USDA reported that 138 million bushels of U.S. soybeans had been sold for export, but not yet shipped. According to Good, to reach 1.69 billion bushels, new sales need to average 5.34 billion bushels per week for the remainder of the marketing year.
Since some sales are typically carried forward to the next marketing year, sales likely need to average about 6.7 million bushels per week for cumulative sales to result in exports of 1.69 billion bushels.
The pace of sales will continue to slow in a seasonal fashion as the world turns to South American supplies, but new sales averaged 14.5 million bushels per week for the four weeks that ended March 3.
“Although 2015-16 marketing-year U.S. soybean exports may marginally exceed the current USDA projection, year-ending stocks of soybeans will still be quite large,” Good said. “The USDA’s March 1 Grain Stocks report should confirm mid-year soybean stocks that were well above those of a year ago.
“For soybean prices to continue to move higher, expectations of a stronger demand environment will have to emerge or conditions will have to begin to point to a much smaller U.S. soybean crop in 2016.
“Expectations for the size of that crop will begin to unfold with the USDA’s Prospective Plantings report to be released on March 31.”