The huge rally in wood prices gained further momentum all week as quarantined homeowners ran to big box stores and lumberyards clamoring for supplies for framing fix-up projects. Building supply stores have been designated as essential businesses, remaining open throughout the pandemic...

Corn prices put on a dazzling display this week, exploding to three-month highs on the heels of a USDA report. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its estimates of this year’s planted acreage and shocked markets with a drastic cut of 5 million corn acres...

Pig prices are grinding to new lows, with August lean hog futures dropping under 48 cents per pound on Friday. Back in early May, when the COVID outlook was optimistic, August hogs gained over 30% to reach 67 cents per pound, a sign that markets were expecting stronger demand by the end of the summer...

As more Americans begin resuming normal routines, they will be disappointed to see something else returning to normal: prices at the pump. Gasoline and diesel fuel prices have been exploding higher after bottoming out at the peak of the COVID-19 market panics...

The three most active stock market indexes (the Dow, NASDAQ, and the S&P 500) continued their upward rally last week until Thursday morning, at which point they began an extraordinary one-day tumble giving up half their massive climb which began in mid-May...

Markets were gleeful on Friday morning after a report showing 13.3% unemployment, the second-highest rate since the Great Depression. The reason for their optimism? Things didn’t get worse after April’s record-breaking 14.7% rate...

After bottoming in late March, gasoline futures have exploded higher, nearly tripling since the low. During the nationwide coronavirus shutdown, Americans slashed their automobile use, cutting mileage, and therefore fuel consumption, by over 60%. The collapse in demand and concerns about long-term economic slowdowns sent prices to 20-year low, sending wholesale futures prices under 40 cents per gallon...

Coffee prices dripped to a three-month low on Friday, trading under $1.03 per pound. The commodity has been extremely wild during the COVID-19 pandemic, with five moves of 20%+ so far this year. Demand and prices surged as Americans hoarded groceries, including their daily caffeine fix, pushing prices near $1.30 per pound in March. Over the last few months, demand has been falling as consumer use up supplies at home...

Livestock prices had been in a sharp decline for most of the year due to knock-on effects from the coronavirus outbreak. Initially, Chinese economic woes sapped demand for meat exports, and then U.S. turmoil added to concerns about consumers’ willingness to pay for expensive cuts of meat...

Oil prices have been in a sharp decline since the coronavirus spread began early this year, dropping as global production far outpaced demand. Once the United States went largely on lockdown, U.S. gasoline and diesel fuel demand collapsed, leading to a glut of crude oil and its products...

Egg prices have nearly tripled ahead of the Easter holiday, when U.S. demand typically spikes. This year, it’s not a travelling bunny that is driving demand, it’s Americans staying in their houses as they combat the spread of COVID-19...

Interest rates collapsed this week as markets continued to absorb the impact of the spread of COVID-19. On Tuesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve announced an emergency 0.5% rate cut in an attempt to get ahead of economic slowdowns caused by the virus. This was the first emergency action by the Fed since the 2008 financial crisis...

Commodities and stock markets worldwide are feeling the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, leaving many investors feeling ill. This week saw a significant expansion in cases of COVID-19 outside of China, increasing concerns that the disease will have a global impact, affecting human health, transportation, and trade...

In their third vote in five years, British citizens came out in force on Thursday in favor of the Conservative Party, resoundingly keeping Prime Minister Boris Johnson in power. Johnson has been a staunch Brexiteer and his large majority in the British Parliament should give him a strong position to navigate leaving the European Union...

Midwestern corn farmers are hard at work harvesting this year’s corn crop, but they are still far behind schedule. As of last Sunday, only 76% of the U.S. corn crop had been harvested, well below the five-year average of 92%, and the slowest pace in a decade...

Top leaders from the U.S. and China are meeting in Washington to try and strike a deal and end the 18-month trade war. Initial reports suggest that the two sides are finding some common ground, with the U.S. offering to reduce tariffs in exchange for China buying more U.S. agricultural products...

Cattle and hog prices are taking off as Asian countries continue to struggle with the African Swine Fever epidemic. The disease, which does not affect humans, is widespread in China, Mongolia, and Vietnam, with recent reports of new infections in South Korea and the Philippines. The virus is highly contagious and deadly to pigs, leading affected countries to cull healthy hog herds in affected areas to contain the outbreak...

Metals traders got a wild ride this week as silver prices first exploded nearly $1.50 per ounce in two days, then crashed even lower by Friday morning. Overall, silver has gained over $5.00 per ounce since late May; such a massive upward rise is typically accompanied by increased volatility...

Orange juice prices exploded toward week’s end as meteorologists predicted a major hit to Florida’s citrus growing region. The strong winds and saturated soil can cause long-term damage to orange trees and cut yields dramatically...

Cattle prices collapsed this week, falling the exchange-maximum for two days straight, after a major meat processing plant was closed. A Tyson Foods Inc. facility in Kansas was damaged by fire last week and will be closed indefinitely. The plant is estimated to process over 6,000 animal per day, representing 5% of all American beef...