The current price of key market indexes

[Value Buy]

Today should be interesting in the world of oil.
WTI is trading at $28.15, due to a new contract month today.
Will it hold or start dropping again like a rock? 

[Value Buy]

Jan 21, 2016 8:03:26 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Today should be interesting in the world of oil.
WTI is trading at $28.15, due to a new contract month today.
Will it hold or start dropping again like a rock? 

Today was interesting. Futures on the current oil went up almost 5% today, based on the new month contract price.
If we were on the old expired contract, it would have been closer to 10%.
Market responded very well, going up 235 points, then the afternoon selling knocked it down to about 115 point increase at the close.
Even though production numbers for crude and refined gasoline were announced up more than expected, it still gained steam after an initial sell off. 

[kadee79]

Just a little bit of local news from down south....my area. Looking for less cotton and more peanuts this coming year!

[Value Buy]

Jan 21, 2016 19:22:41 GMT -5 kadee79 said:

Just a little bit of local news from down south....my area. Looking for less cotton and more peanuts this coming year!

Anything to do with El Nino, or just planting expectations from the government?

[kadee79]

It's planting expectations, however, it is based on the commodity prices for both. Cotton is DOWN, peanuts are a more stable market right now.

The weather could actually be a big problem for peanuts (they grow underground) if we continue to get rains like we have this winter....they will rot before they are mature enough to turn.

Corn & soybeans are going to be a problem....with prices as low at they are at present.

Don't think I'd be investing much in farm equipment companies for awhile....Just MHO!

[The Virginian]

Kadee, Do you think that will make the land cheaper? Planning on moving to Georgia by the end of the year. Not sure what part yet but more than likely south of Atlanta. I'm hoping to find a place with a few Pecan Trees -

[Value Buy]

Dow up 180 points right now
WTI up another 3 1/2% today.
The ten year is at 1.95%

Wonder if we see a sell off on the rally, or traders just try to book some gains on a dismal month without a major sell off and make end of month data look better than it actually is.

[clarkrl2]

I am very skeptical of this rally. If some of the indexes break back above their 200 day sma I will be more bullish.

[kadee79]

T Va....don't know about the land prices. I haven't really been watching just land recently. But housing are holding pretty steady. There are some here in my area that think their residence is worth a lot more than others that are about the same, but you find that all over.

If you look at any thing with pecan trees...not sure how many you are talking about, but take into consideration some of the work that will be involved...mowing for one, irrigation if we have another drought, harvest (commercial or by hand?), local market for the type of pecan you have. There are several varieties and I have my personal preferences since I use them to bake with! The Stuarts have very good flavor. Paper shell are easier to crack & you get move unbroken halves from them...so "prettier". But if you end up with seedling trees (used mostly for pollination of other varieties)...they are very small nuts but have the absolute best flavor I've ever experienced.  There are some other varieties too.

Here in my little town we have several places that buy pecans from individuals.  The prices vary every year.  The lowest it has ever been since I've been here was 35 cents lb., the highest has been 90 cents lb.  And that isn't much when they sell them in the stores for $6-7 lb.!!!  Most of these places will also either just crack them (you finish shelling them) or they will fully shell them...cracking is around 35 cent lb....I never had any completely shelled so don't know that price.

South of Atlanta should be cheaper than around Atlanta.  The further south most likely a bit cheaper.  Another thing to look for if you are looking at acreage....drive around the whole area, on every road near anything you are considering...there are LOTS of chicken houses down here and if you are near them...they STINK!!!  We have some a couple of miles behind us and when they spread that mixture of manure on the fields....PPPUUUU! 

We have a few pecan trees on our property, but they are all volunteer and most likely will be seedlings when they do produce...which takes 8-15 yrs. on a volunteer tree.  They are getting close to 15 now and nothing yet...maybe this coming year since they won't have the pine tree competition...we got all the pines cut down in Dec.!

And I have a BIL who sells real estate in this area now.  If he can help you, let me know!  If you have any other questions I might be able to help with...also let me know.

[Value Buy]

January 30th closing quotes

Dow 16,466.30
Nasdaq 4,613.95
S&P 500 1,940.24
Russell 2000 1,033.56
Transportation Index 6,906.76
Utility Index 611.35

Gold $1,117.70 oz
Platinum $871.70
Silver $14.27 oz
Copper $2.0605

Brent oil $34.73 per barrel
WTI oil $33.62 per barrel
Gasoline $1.1122 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.313
Heating oil $1.0551 gallon
Diesel $1.0648 gallon
Coal $43.10

Wheat $479.00
Corn $371.50
Soybeans $881.50
Orange juice $132.35
Lumber $242.40

Live cattle $133.325
Lean hogs $70.625

Ten year Treasury 1.92%

Euro $1.0833
Canadian dollar $1.40 ($.71)
Yen $121.05

Utility index has been strong, based on the fall in interest rates for the ten year, under 2% again.
The oil and gas markets took off in two weeks, but have already given 5% back on Monday. 
Copper and silver looked strong.
Grains are just in a tight trading range, but cattle and lean hogs showed a good increase.

[The Virginian]

Thanks for the info Kadee - Yes I just want the pecan trees for my own use - not looking to sell them. But .90 per pound ? Wow - Around here they retail for about $15 per pound !

I am still looking but looking at the areas around Waycross, Valdosta, .............. lots of land and homes available at great prices and best of all No Snow !  And yes, I am aware of the Chicken Farms and the Paper Mills , they both stink. I just want a little land to grow my own garden, maybe raise some chickens for eggs and not have to worry about Home Owners Associations.

[Value Buy]

February 16th prices

Dow 16,196.41
Nasdaq 4,435.96
S&P 500 1,895.58
Russell 2000 995.80
Transportation Index 7,209.56
Utility Index 614.49

Gold $1,200.90 oz
Platinum $932.80
Silver $15.26 oz
Copper $2.0485

Brent oil $32.32 per barrel
WTI oil $29.12 per barrel
Gasoline $.975 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $1.93
Heating oil $1.027 gallon
Diesel $1.031 gallon
Coal $43.20

Wheat $463.50
Corn $362.75
Soybeans $879.00
Orange juice $135.65
Lumber $248.50

Live cattle $132.125
Lean hogs $70.375

Ten year Treasury 1.77%

Euro $1.1142
Canadian dollar $1.3881 
Yen  $1.1406

Dow, Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Russel indexes all down from January 15th.
Transportation index is over 37 points, Utility up 3 points for the same period
Gold and platinum up over $100 a an oz, silver up a dollar an oz in sixteen days.
WTI and Brent both down over $2 a barrel, and rrob gasoline is trading at $.975 a gallon.
Grain commodities down a couple of dollars per contract.
Ten year way down to 1.77% suggesting interest rates are staying low for awhile. The Fe has lost all control on interest rates due to international markets all being bad, with economies struggling around the world.

[Value Buy]

February 29th closing statistics

Dow 16,516.50
Nasdaq 4,557.95
S&P 500 1,932.22
Russell 2000 1,036.65
Transportation Index 7,345.03
Utility Index 620.70

Gold $1,240.80 oz
Platinum $937.60
Silver $14.94 oz
Copper $2.128

Brent oil $35.97 per barrel
WTI oil $33.82 per barrel
Gasoline $1.0445 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $1.70
Heating oil $1.0760 gallon
Diesel $1.0773 gallon
Coal $44.15

Wheat $444.00
Corn $357.50
Soybeans $862.25
Orange juice $123.00
Lumber $253.60

Live cattle $136.90
Lean hogs $70.125

Ten year Treasury 1.74%

Euro $1.0880
Canadian dollar $135.34
Yen $112.77

[ModE98]

Hope that gasoline price stays down.  Getting gas under $1.70 at the pump is nice these days.

[Value Buy]

Mar 2, 2016 16:21:10 GMT -5 ModE98 said:

Hope that gasoline price stays down.  Getting gas under $1.70 at the pump is nice these days.

Gasoline jumped fifteen cents a gallon retail last night.
Reason?
Spring maintenance of refineries.
Yeh, right 
Just as the start of the spring driving season.
Still, only $1.79 a gallon.......

[The Virginian]

Mar 2, 2016 22:22:46 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Mar 2, 2016 16:21:10 GMT -5 ModE98 said:

Hope that gasoline price stays down.  Getting gas under $1.70 at the pump is nice these days.

Gasoline jumped fifteen cents a gallon retail last night.
Reason?
Spring maintenance of refineries.
Yeh, right 
Just as the start of the spring driving season.
Still, only $1.79 a gallon.......

I noticed the price increase here - but - no increase in share prices for the refineries I own -

[Value Buy]

Mar 3, 2016 7:03:11 GMT -5 The Virginian said:

Mar 2, 2016 22:22:46 GMT -5 Value Buy said:

Gasoline jumped fifteen cents a gallon retail last night.
Reason?
Spring maintenance of refineries.
Yeh, right 
Just as the start of the spring driving season.
Still, only $1.79 a gallon.......

I noticed the price increase here - but - no increase in share prices for the refineries I own -

Probably will see another jump for spring breakers across the country in the next week or so.
Have to remember, the refiners do this every year, so, if they do not do it, their year over year numbers would be even far worse, so I guess for them, it's just business as usual.

[kadee79]

Feb 2, 2016 9:36:12 GMT -5 The Virginian said:

Thanks for the info Kadee - Yes I just want the pecan trees for my own use - not looking to sell them. But .90 per pound ? Wow - Around here they retail for about $15 per pound !

I am still looking but looking at the areas around Waycross, Valdosta, .............. lots of land and homes available at great prices and best of all No Snow !  And yes, I am aware of the Chicken Farms and the Paper Mills , they both stink. I just want a little land to grow my own garden, maybe raise some chickens for eggs and not have to worry about Home Owners Associations.

Sorry, I hadn't been back to this thread, so I'm a bit late with my 2 cents. I don't care for Waycross...not sure exactly what it is, but it seems to be harder to get around...maybe not enough roads over that way.

Now Valdosta....you would be my neighbor!   I'm about 50 mi. from there and Valdosta is growing and spreading out...so prices might be a bit higher there, but you have better access to more things too.  But I like that area much better!

I agree about HOAs....never if I can help it.

Oh, and BTW, there is 16 +/- acres a couple houses south of me for sale....at least I think it's still for sale.  It was a foreclosure if my info is correct.  There is a 2 story house, but it's one of those cheap ones....really, really needs insulation.  The guy who lived there said his power bills were running about $400 a month.  It's well water and at least part is fenced since he had a horse & pony over there.  No garage but one storage shed.  And I could give you all kinds of plant starts.   Plenty of room for a garden, but you'd have to plant pecan trees.  The back part was all planted pines, those got cut and volunteer pines have come up now.

The last asking price I saw was $139,000...but I'd have to check to make sure it was still for sale and if that price was still valid.

And no, this area does not get snow.  Our ground never freezes either.  If you had garden up north...it is totally different down here.  Planting times are way different.

[Value Buy]

March 15th 2016 quotes

Dow 17,251.53
Nasdaq 4,728.67
S&P 500 2,015.93
Russell 2000 1,066.67
Transportation Index 7,646.98
Utility Index 649.32

Gold $1,232.80 oz
Platinum $959.50
Silver $15.29 oz
Copper $2.2365

Brent oil $38.96 per barrel
WTI oil $36.72 per barrel
Gasoline $1.408 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $1.846
Heating oil $1.1852 gallon
Diesel $1.1852 gallon
Coal $43.47

Wheat $477.00
Corn $368.25
Soybeans $892.25
Orange juice $128.30
Lumber $287.00

Live cattle $140.725
Lean hogs $70.725

Ten year Treasury 1.97%

Euro $1.1107
Canadian dollar $1.3352 ($.7491)
Yen $1.1317

[Ombud]

I'm making my Roth deposit tomorrow night ... not ready for an uptick / want it to go DOWN

[Value Buy]

March 31st closing quotes

Dow 17,685.09
Nasdaq 4,869.85
S&P 500 2,059.73
Russell 2000 1,116.73
Transportation Index 7,944.11
Utility Index 668.57

Gold $1,233.50 oz
Platinum $977.50
Silver $15.435 oz
Copper $2.185

Brent oil $39.57 per barrel
WTI oil $38.17 per barrel
Gasoline $1.4136 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $1.96
Heating oil $1.18 gallon
Diesel $1.1773 gallon
Coal $43.162

Wheat $472.00
Corn $350.50
Soybeans $909.75
Orange juice $145.75
Lumber $311.90

Live cattle $124.10
Lean hogs $80.70

Ten year Treasury 1.77%

Euro $1.1382
Canadian dollar $1.2982 ($.77)
Yen $112.53

If we go back 45 days, it looks like the stock indexes and most commodities are runaway trains to the upside
In the grand scheme of the three months, not quite true, but commodities seem to have broke the downward trend.
I am pressed for time right now, and has been a busy two months personally, but hope to discuss the future direction of stocks and commodities plus what it means when we throw in an election year with some of you.
Thanks

[ModE98]

All depends on who may be the final party candidates following the conventions.  Then things could become quite interesting!

[Value Buy]

April 15th closing quotes

Dow 17,897.46
Nasdaq 4,938.22
S&P 500 2,080.73
Russell 2000 1,130.93
Transportation Index 7,978.23
Utility Index 662.50

Gold $1,235.60 oz
Platinum $987.10
Silver $16.25 oz
Copper $2.151

Brent oil $43.12 per barrel
WTI oil $40.44 per barrel
Gasoline $1.4654 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $1.909
Heating oil $1.2351 gallon
Diesel $1.2362 gallon
Coal $43.63

Wheat $467.25
Corn $377.25
Soybeans $954.00
Orange juice $140.00
Lumber $280.00

Live cattle $122.025
Lean hogs $77.625

Ten year Treasury 1.75%

Euro $1.1284
Canadian dollar $1.2824 ($.7798)
Yen $108.75

All the stock indexes trending higher except for the utility index.
Oil looks like it has officially broken the down trend, but we have to important oil meetings coming up, that will either keepit at this level or higher, if the exporting nations can hold back on oil production output. If they cannot contain Iran and Venezuela on production output, oil futures will fall.
Grain complex is staying neutral right now, but corn and soybeans are showing a little strength.
Ten year bond staying in a tight range at 1.75% to 1.80% range meaning 30 year mortgages can stay below 4%
Yen has dropped eight cents against the dollar since first of year, and the Canadian dollar has strengthened eight cents against the dollar in the same time period.

[Ombud]

I'm confused. Help me understand this.

I was taught that stocks and bonds go in opposite direction so that's why you want both. To some cash on April 8th I increased my core by buying:
1000 CXA @ 24.78 now @ 24.88
1000 SCHB @ 48.2 now @ 50.07

Not a huge shift in either but an uptick in both. Why?

Core = as I slow down salary-wise, optimally 1/3 cash or bonds, 2/3 stock index. Not a trading account

[clarkrl2]

Even if bonds and stocks trade inversely on any particular period the inverse relation may not hold. A statistical relationship is measured over much longer intervals of time.

[Ombud]

Apr 18, 2016 10:52:03 GMT -5 Ombud said:

I'm confused. Help me understand this.

I was taught that stocks and bonds go in opposite direction so that's why you want both. To some cash on April 8th I increased my core by buying:
1000 CXA @ 24.78 now @ 24.88
1000 SCHB @ 48.2 now @ 50.07

Not a huge shift in either but an uptick in both. Why?

Core = as I slow down salary-wise, optimally 1/3 cash or bonds, 2/3 stock index. Not a trading account

okay. This is more like what I expected to see:
1000 CXA @ 24.78 now 24.85
1000 SCHB @ 48.2 now 50.11

CXA dn SCHB up

Guess that's what you meant, clarkrl2, take a longer look -- after all its core not trading assets

[Value Buy]

April 29th closing prices

Dow 17,773.64
Nasdaq 4,775.36
S&P 500 2,065.30
Russell 2000 1,130.84
Transportation Index 7,871.63
Utility Index 654.44

Gold $1,1297 oz
Platinum $1,077.00
Silver $17.855 oz
Copper $2.27

Brent oil $47.37 per barrel
WTI oil $45.92 per barrel
Gasoline $1.599 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.129
Heating oil $1.3736 gallon
Diesel $1.3732 gallon
Coal $43.50

Wheat $488.50
Corn $392.00
Soybeans $1,032.75
Orange juice $128.45
Lumber $305.00

Live cattle $114.925
Lean hogs $81.70

Ten year Treasury 1.82%

Euro $1.1475
Canadian dollar $1.2531 ($.7980)
Yen $1.06.52

We have a lot of movement in the commodity markets right now while stock indexes are flat or down in the same period.
Gold has broken $1,300 an oz, silver up $2.40 an oz in 45 days
Platinum up $100.00 in same period.
Oil complex has rebounded over seven dollars a barrel in 45 days.
Soybeans up $121 a contract.
Live cattle slipped but hog bellies up.
The currencies have all gained on the dollar

Are we seeing signs of inflation coming into the economy, or is it simply brokerage accounts switching out of stocks into commodities?

[Value Buy]

May 16th closing quotes

Dow 17,710.71
Nasdaq 4,775.46
S&P 500 2,066.66
Russell 2000 1,116.21
Transportation Index 7,562.61
Utility Index 666.41

Gold $1,276.20 oz
Platinum $1,054.60
Silver $17.20 oz
Copper $2.093

Brent oil $49.13 per barrel
WTI oil $47.84 per barrel
Gasoline $1.6123 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.093
Heating oil $1.4466 gallon
Diesel $1.4467 gallon
Coal $43.50

Wheat $474.75
Corn $394.00
Soybeans $1,064.50
Orange juice $143.65
Lumber $328.00

Live cattle $123.025
Lean hogs $83.025

Ten year Treasury 1.75%

Euro $1.1318
Canadian dollar $1.2895
Yen $1.09

[Value Buy]

May31st closing quotes

Dow 17,787.20
Nasdaq 4,948.06
S&P 500 2,096.96
Russell 2000 1,154.79
Transportation Index 7,798.35
Utility Index 659.44

Gold $1,217.90 oz
Platinum $980.30
Silver $16.01 oz
Copper $2.0875

Brent oil $49.67 per barrel
WTI oil $48.89 per barrel
Gasoline $1.5996 gallon NY Harbor
Natural gas $2.288
Heating oil $1.4975 gallon
Diesel $1.4904 gallon
Coal $44.80

Wheat $466.00
Corn $405.00
Soybeans $1,078.50
Orange juice $153.20
Lumber $303.00

Live cattle $118.00
Lean hogs $80.425

Ten year Treasury 1.85%

Euro $1.132
Canadian dollar $1.3092
Yen $1.1073

[The Virginian]

I don't really keep up with the precious metals but I am surprised to see Platinum cheaper than Gold ! I keep a little bit of physical Silver on hand but maybe I should add some Platinum also ?