US corn is primarily grown in the Midwestern region of the country, or the central states, where the soil is rich, deep, and the summers are ideal for growing the grain. Within that midwest region there is actually two different subsets of areas for corn growth – the Eastern Corn Belt (ECB) and the Western […]
If you’re new to futures markets, or only look at a few futures markets, you may find yourself a bitconfused by the meaning of things like ZCZ3, or ZWH3. Those symbols are called Futures Contract Codes. Each of these codes is a unique identifier and represent the commodity being traded, the deliverymonth of the contract, […]
The futures market has existed for hundreds of years. The first known market was the Dojima RiceExchange that was started in 1697. As time went on, exchanges slowly spread around the world. TheCBOT, or Chicago Board of Trade, was founded in 1848. Shortly after the LME, or London MetalsExchange, was founded 1877. These exchanges have […]
Since commodities are all derived from some natural resource, it is important to understand those natural resources, their production practices, and the underlying market conditions. Without a firm understanding of these underlying principles, it is very hard to have a firm understanding of what is driving the markets. In the grain and oilseed market primer, […]