On Friday morning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its “Planted Acreage” report that shocked markets by showing far more corn acres and fewer soybean acres than anticipated. After a terribly wet spring and widespread reports of farmers unable to plant corn, analysts were expecting the USDA to show 86.7 million acres of corn planted this year, but Friday’s report projected planted acreage at a whopping 91.7 million acres this year...

Smart money chased gold prices higher all week in “flight to quality” buying fueled by geopolitical fears, continuing ultralow interest rates, the trade dispute with China, and thoughts that Washington will allow bigger and bigger deficits...

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its newest monthly estimates on the U.S. employment situation, showing a gloomier outlook. While unemployment remains at a 49-year low of 3.6%, very few new jobs are being created and wages are increasing tepidly. The newest report showed only 75,000 new jobs added during May, half of the recent pace...

On Thursday night, President Trump announced that he was going to implement tariffs against Mexican goods “until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens.” The proposed tariff is expected to start as a 5% tax on June 10 and would escalate by 5% each month until they reached 25%...

This week, President Trump threatened China with stiffer tariffs ahead of trade talks. On Friday, he raised tariffs from 10 to 25 percent on a $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. For U.S. consumers, this will mean higher prices on goods imported from China, on items from toothbrushes and toilet paper to grills and refrigerators...

The line between carnivores and vegetarians is getting blurred as scientists continue expanding on meat substitutes. From plant-based burgers that “bleed” to lab-grown meat, more alternatives are appearing on grocery shelves and on menus. The trend was underscored this week by a record-breaking initial public offering (IPO) by plant-based burger producer Beyond Meat...

Markets were flummoxed Friday morning by a U.S. Labor Department report showing that only 20,000 new nonfarm jobs were created during February. Analysts had been expecting a figure closer to the recent average job growth of 186,000 new hires each month...

Gas prices are starting to climb again, hitting drivers at the pump. After dropping to a three-year low recently, prices rebounded by over 30 cents per gallon. Oil prices have been climbing as well, pulled higher by concerns that U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are restricting that nation’s exports. ...

Construction commodities like copper and lumber are climbing, showing renewed faith in the U.S. housing market and Chinese economy. Both copper and lumber are near a six-month high after bottoming out with stock markets in late December. As the U.S. ...

Soybean prices leapt to a six-week high on Friday after President Trump met with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, and they made progress toward a deal to settle the ongoing trade war with China. Both countries’ leaders now appear optimistic that they can strike a compromise to prevent the self-imposed March 1 deadline before tariffs rise again, a threat that President Trump mentioned on Thursday...

U.S. corn and soybean farmers are giving thanks this week as their record-breaking harvest nears completion. Nationwide, over 90% of this year’s corn and soybean crops have been brought in from the fields, a welcome relief as snow and poor weather conditions had slowed harvest...

Soybeans exploded nearly 5% on Thursday on the heels of a tweet by President Trump: “Just had a long and very good conversation with President Xi Jinping of China… with a heavy emphasis on Trade.”...

Another massive crash in the stock market this week raised the stakes in two major debates among stock index traders. Why is the market tumbling? Will this decline later prove to be a buying opportunity or have we formed a major top?...

Gasoline prices are finally coming down, dropping over 25 cents per gallon since the beginning of October. American refineries had been running near full capacity for months, converting crude oil into fuel at a record rate...

The U.S. stock market suffered from a massive two-day sell-off which began Wednesday morning and continued through Thursday’s close, spreading into the major markets of Europe and Asia as well. Most analysts attributed the tumble to fears that the escalating trade war with China could linger or even accelerate in coming months, raising the costs of industrial production and damaging prospects for U.S. ...

Last Sunday, Canada joined the United States and Mexico in renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The new deal, dubbed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), maintains much of the old NAFTA with some new provisions that the Trump administration had been advocating for, including greater protections for North American autoworkers, drug manufacturers, and digital property rights...

The silver market was shining Friday after a long dull period. Though gold, platinum, and copper futures closed higher on Friday too, only the “blue metal” blew over the highs of the past 30 days, drawing the attention of investors and near-panic buying from short-term speculators...

As Hurricane Florence bore down on the Carolinas, millions were at risk from wind, storm surge, and flooding, causing many to seek higher ground. Meanwhile, North Carolina hog farmers faced a unique challenge: keeping nearly 9 million hogs safe. North Carolina is the United States’ second-largest hog producer, making about 15% of U.S. pork. Some farmers are moving the animals to higher ground, while others are preparing for power outages and shortages of grain to feed the hogs...

Hog prices exploded to a two-month high on Friday as markets assessed a new threat: an outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China. The highly contagious and fatal disease has been found on 18 farms across six provinces in China, the world’s largest hog producer and consumer. While the disease doesn’t affect humans, the impact could be monumental on the global food supply...

After a brief rally, hog prices ended on the chopping block again, falling to a 20-month low near 50 cents per pound. Prices are tumbling as U.S. trade delegations have failed to make headway with China and Mexico, the two largest buyers of U.S. pork. Earlier this year, both nations imposed tariffs against U.S. goods in response to a series of tariffs levied by President Trump...