1. Holiday markets: The holidays are often a bit of a quiet time in equity and commodity markets. But with the world still reacting to Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments on interest rates and inflation, the U.S. government's last-minute votes and decisions on a budget bill, and general world unrest, things could get interesting among the mistletoe, and we don't mean in a romantic way. Our policy reporters and market analysts will keep their laptops warmed up like those proverbial yuletide chestnuts.
2. Spending bill approved, now what?: President Joe Biden signed into law Saturday a short-term spending bill that avoided the government shutdown, provides disaster aid, along with economic aid for farmers and extends the farm bill through Sept. 30, 2025. So now what? DTN will dig more into what this means for farmers as well as reaction from the ag community. Here was DTN's latest weekend story on what was passed: https://www.dtnpf.com/....
3. The Artic roller coaster continues: Short blips of cold, followed by a warmup to tease us -- then another hammer blow of cold air -- seems to be the norm for now. The ups and downs are tough on livestock (and those who tend them) so we'll be watching on all fronts. See https://www.dtnpf.com/...for our latest weather blogs.
4. South America Watch: We'll continue to keep an eye on weather and crop conditions in South America. You can find related stories in a number of places, including our South America Calling blog and our Fundamentally Speaking blog. Find those and others here: https://www.dtnpf.com/....
5. Economic reports to watch: Monday we'll see the latest Consumer Confidence index numbers at 9 a.m. At 10 a.m. we'll see weekly Grain Inspections data, then at 2 p.m. comes the release of the Hogs and Pigs and the Poultry Slaughter reports. Tuesday, the shortened Christmas Eve market day starts with the 7:30 a.m. release of Durable Goods Orders, followed by 9 a.m. New Home Sales numbers. Thursday the Initial Jobless Claims report is out at 7:30 a.m., followed by 10:30 a.m. release of Weekly Economic Index, then at 2 p.m. the latest Broiler Hatchery numbers. Friday the new Grain Sales Export numbers hit at 7:30 a.m., as do the latest reports on Advanced U.S. Trade Balance, Advanced Retail Sales and Advanced Wholesale Inventories.
DTN Bonus content: We'll wrap up our annual Global Fertilizer Outlook series throughout the week, with the last story examining the supply and production estimates for potash, as well as price expectations in 2025. The last story will have links to the other stories in this series, highlighting nitrogen and phosphorous outlooks, in case you missed them. You can also check out our weekly fertilizer prices coverage here: https://www.dtnpf.com/....
And finally, our Top 10 countdown continues: We'll continue with the countdown of our Top 10 ag news stories for 2024. You'll find them in our Top Stories segments daily until Dec. 31, then we'll post our Best of the Rest story on Jan. 1. What do you think should be the top ag story of the year? You can share your choice with us at [email protected].
Watch for the latest news at www.dtnpf.com, and follow and like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/dtnprogressivefarmer. You can find our news on Instagram as well. Give us a follow @dtn.agnews
From DTN/Progressive Farmer to your family and you: Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and safe travels for those traveling this week.