Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Quick Overview

  • U.S. Housing starts were at an annual rate of 590,000 -- up 0.5% MoM. Less than had been expected

  • Canada kept its interest rate unchanged at 0.25%

  • Canada’s leading indicators rose 1.1% in September

  • To curb the upward climb of its currency, Brazil announced that it would impose a 2% tax on overseas purchases of stocks and bonds

  • Construction output in the EU fell 0.5% MoM and 11.1% YoY.

  • The USDA said 17% of corn and 30% of soybeans were harvested

  • The global sugar deficit of 8.3 million metric tons in the 2009-10 period should reverse to a surplus in the 2010-11 period, said the general director of Kingsman, a Lausanne, Switzerland-based consultancy.
  • Sugar content in cane has fallen to 5-6 percent from the usual 9 percent level in Uttar Pradesh, India's top producing state of the sweetener, according to a PTI story
  • India's sugar production is expected to rise to 18 million metric tons (prev. 16-17) in 2009-10, according to an Indian government official inBrazil.
  • Mexico's new 2009-10 sugar harvest is forecast to produce 5,168,188 metric tons, up 4.1% of semi-refined standard sugar, the National CaneSugar Growers Union said Tuesday.

  • U.S. economist, Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel laureate, said the risk of deflation is still a concern, despite signs of an economic recovery.

  • Illy forecasts 2010-11 world coffee production at 145 million 60-kilgrambags, up from 132 million bags in 2009-10. Consumption in 2010 is pegged at around 135 million bags,leaving a 10 million bag surplus, said Illy.

  • Russia harvested 98.8 million tons of grain as of Oct. 20, down 13.4 million tons YoY.

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