Carry On My Wayward Traders!
Japanese Yen/currencies: It appears that an appetite for risk among traders and investors has returned in the currencies. September Japanese Yen futures are sharply lower this morning, as traders start to sell Yen and buy higher-yielding currencies such as the Australian and New Zealand Dollars, once again initiating the so-called “carry trade.” The resumption of this popular trade appears to be bolstered by stabilization in world equity markets, as well as assurances from central banks around the globe that they will step in to supply liquidity as necessary to the short-term credit markets. In the early going, September Japanese Yen is trading at 0.8591, down 0.0131, September Australian Dollar is trading at 0.8192, up 0.0134, and the September New Zealand Dollar is trading at 0.7154, up 0.158.
Chicago Wheat: Soft Red Winter Wheat futures continued their surge to near all-time high prices overnight, as several more nations are seeking Wheat purchases amid continuing tight world supplies. Taiwan, Japan and India are either looking to purchase or have already announced purchases of Wheat this morning. India is the second largest Wheat consumer behind China, and additional purchases from this region are strongly supportive to Wheat prices. In addition, there are concerns that Australia, the world’s third largest Wheat exporter, may experience warmer than normal temperatures this spring according to some forecasters, which has the potential to hurt crop yields. At the end of the overnight session, December Wheat was trading at $7.43, up 11 ¼ cents.
Sugar: October Sugar surged to near 2-week highs this morning, as Russia proposes to raise its raw Sugar duty from $140 per ton to $220 per ton. This news is expected to increase short-term demand as buyers obtain supplies ahead of the scheduled December increase. In early trade, October Sugar stands at 9.69, up 0.19.
Mike Zarembski, Senior Commodity Analyst
