Friday, March 31, 2006

Quick Overview

  • U.S. factory orders rose 0.2% in February following a decline the previous month, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

  • U.S. personal incomes were up 0.3% in February

  • Consumer spending rose 0.1% in February, the smallest increase in six months.

  • The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index rose from 86.7 to 88.9 in March.

  • The Chicago Purchasing Manager's index rose from 54.9 to 60.4 in March, the highest reading this year.

  • Australian Retail sales were up 0.7% in February, more than expected.

  • YoY Canada's GDP was up 0.2% in January and up 3.3%

  • YoY Japans consumer prices were up 0.4% in February.


  • The USDA's 2006-2007 planting estimate for:
    Corn is 78.0 million acres, down 5% YoY -- less than expected.
    Soybeans is 76.9 million acres, up 7% YoY and the most on record.
    Wheat is 57.1 million acres, down slightly YoY and the lowest since 1972.
    Cotton is 14.6 million acres, up 3% YoY.

  • As of March 1st, U.S. grain stocks of:
    Corn totaled 6.99 billion bushels, up 3% YoY.
    Soybeans totaled 1.67 billion bushels, up 21% YoY.
    Wheat totaled 972 million bushels, down 1% YoY.

  • The USDA said that there were 60.104 million hogs and pigs in the U.S. as of March 1, up 0.7% YoY.

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