ANTHONY CLARK: The little things that reveal a lot
Movements of products such as maize and oil affect what happens to the shares of some large firms
E very Monday morning I check the charts and weekly price changes of a key set of indicators.Over a cup of coffee I look at the price movements of products and commodities that few pay any heed to on a consistent basis. These are crucial to me in my work and understanding of a vast swathe of counters in my small-to mid-cap universe and their inter-linkages.Iron ore, crude oil, soybeans, wheat and maize — or corn, as our American cousins call it — are my "go to" charts at the start of the week.Why am I talking about corn?In America corn and crude oil, via the benchmark West Texas Intermediate price, are interlinked. Why, you may ask.In the US corn is the main feedstock in the production of ethanol, which is blended with fuel for transportation.About 40% of US corn goes towards this.When the oil price fell sharply on the Saudi-Russian market share war, the profitability of ethanol production plunged. Factor in Covid-19 and the sudden decline in travel, logistics and fuel demand, and t...
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