Agricultural commodities have been on a tear over the last month. Chart 1 shows the Power Shares Agricultural Fund (DBA) in a parabolic rise since mid-June. Most of that surge is coming from grain markets as the result of drought conditions in the midwest. Corn, wheat, and soybean prices have seen especially big gains. Chart 2 shows the Corn Fund (CORN) surging to the highest level in ten months. Notice the big jump in volume in both agricultural ETFs. One stock group that is starting to benefit from surging grain prices is fertilizer stocks. Farmers will need to buy more fertiilzer to plant bigger crops during the next growing season.
About the author:
John Murphy is the Chief Technical Analyst at StockCharts.com, a renowned author in the investment field and a former technical analyst for CNBC, and is considered the father of inter-market technical analysis. With over 40 years of market experience, he is the author of numerous popular works including “Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets” and “Trading with Intermarket Analysis”. Before joining StockCharts, John was the technical analyst for CNBC-TV for seven years on the popular show Tech Talk, and has authored three best-selling books on the subject: Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets, Trading with Intermarket Analysis and The Visual Investor.
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