The market open is very telltale about the trade’s beliefs. It can open hard and fast in one direction or another, or it can move in small increments back and forth, reflecting less certainty about the direction. The latter was the case this morning involving corn and soybeans. By contrast, there was certainty that soyoil and wheat were headed lower. By noon, everything was in the red. By the close, only lean hogs made it into the green.  This was the third session in a row in which corn, soybeans, and soyoil all closed lower. Second day lower for wheat and cattle; first day this week with a higher close for hogs.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Weekly Petroleum Status Report showed that during the week ending 24 May, U...