Business practices are expanding in a globally, and the commodity grain market is also.  Ten years ago, 206.9 million metric tons (MMT) of wheat, corn and soybeans were traded on the world market.  In 2007/08 that figure had grown to 291.5 MMT.  In just one short decade global trade of these three commodity grain markets grew by over 40%.  It’s for that reason that keeping track of the fundamentals for global leaders of production, consumption, imports and exports has become a must for commodity grain traders.  This may seem like a daunting task, but the following is a breakdown of the global leaders in their respective category and grain

Corn

Wheat

Soybeans

(All figures in million metric tons)

There are just a couple of things to note about these commodity grain charts.  Not every nation needs to be watched in every category.  The higher a country’s percentage of global market share is, the closer the relative trend of the country should be watched.  For example, China is the biggest buyer of soybeans and the U.S. is the biggest seller of corn in their respective global market.  It’s a good idea to keep an eye on Chinese demand for soybeans and U.S. supply of corn.  These charts are a good basic foundation to begin your global fundamental analysis of the commodity grain markets.

(USDA FAS- World Corn and Barley: Supply and Demand)

(USDA FAS- World Corn Production, Consumption, and Stocks)

(USDA FAS- World Corn Trade)

(USDA FAS- World Wheat and Coarse Grains: Supply and Demand)

(USDA FAS- World Wheat Production, Consumption, and Stocks)

(USDA FAS- World Wheat, Flour, and Products Trade)

(USDA FAS- World: Soybeans and Products Supply and Distribution)

(USDA FAS- Soybeans: World Supply and Distribution)

Trading in futures and options involves a substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.