How to Make Money in Commodities

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APPENDIX V:
GOVERNMENT REPORTS

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GOVERNMENT REPORTS

Crop Reporting Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture
      Room 0005, Washington, DC 20250
Agricultural Price Reports

Agricultural Prices (Monthly)
      Annual (June)
Crop Values (Jan.)

Field Crops and Stocks Reports

Acreage (June)
Crop Production (Monthly)
      Annual Summary (Jan.)
Field Crops--Production, Disposition and Value (Apr.)
Grain Stocks (Quarterly)
Potato Stocks (Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Dec.)
Potatoes and Sweetpotatoes (Aug.)
Prospective Plantings (Jan., Apr.)
Soybean Stocks (Sept.)

Livestock and Products Reports

Cattle (Jan., July)
Cattle on Feed (Monthly)
Hogs and Pigs (Quarterly)
Lamb Crop and Wool (July)
Livestock Slaughter (Monthly)
      Annual Summary (March)
Meat Animals--Production, Disposition, and Income (Apr.)
Sheep and Goats (Jan.)
Sheep and Lambs on Feed (Jan., Mar., and Nov.)
Wool and Mohair (Mar.)

Poultry and Egg Reports

Broiler Hatchery (Weekly)
Egg Products (Monthly)
Eggs, Chickens and Turkeys (Monthly)
Hatchery Production--Annual (Mar.)
Layers and Egg Production--Annual (Jan.)
Poultry--Production, Disposition and Income (Apr.)
Poultry Slaughter (Monthly)
Turkey Hatchery (Weekly)
Turkeys (Jan.)

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Seed Crop Reports

Alfalfa (Oct.)
Field Seed Stocks (Aug.)
Red Clover (Oct.)
Seed Crops (Jan.)
      Annual Summary (May)
Tall Fescue--Oregon (Aug.)
Tall Fescue--Southern States (Jul.)
Timothy (Aug.)

Other Reports

Agricultural Situation (11 x yr.)
Agricultural Statistics (Annual)
Cold Storage (Monthly)
      Regional Cold Storage Holdings (Mar.)
Farm Labor (Quarterly)
Farm Numbers (Dec.)
Farm Production Expenditures (June)
Naval Stores (Monthly)
Weekly Weather & Crop Bulletins (Weekly)

U.S. Department of Agriculture, ESCS Information Staff
      Publications Unit, Room 0054-South, Washington, DC 20250

Situation Reports and Supply Demand Estimates Reports

Agricultural Finance Outlook--Annual (Dec.)
Agricultural Outlook (Monthly)
Agricultural Supply and Demand (9 x yr.)
Dairy Situation (Mar., May, Aug., Oct., Dec.)
Fats & Oils Situation (Jan., Mar., Apr., June, Sept.)
Feed Situation (Feb., May, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov.)
Livestock & Meat Situation (Monthly)
Outlook for U.S. Exports (Quarterly)
Poultry & Egg Situation (8 x yr.)
Vegetable Situation (8 x yr.)
World Agricultural Situation (July, Oct., Dec.)

Other Reports

Agricultural Economics Research (Quarterly)
Agricultural Finance Review (Annual)
Agricultural Finance Statistics (Annual)

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Other Reports (Continued)

Changes in Farm Production & Efficiency (Annual)
Farm Index (Monthly)
Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United States (Monthly)
Handbook of Agricultural Charts (Annual)
Livestock Feed Relationships--National & Geographic Areas (Annual)
National Food Review (Quarterly)
Price Spreads for Farm Foods (Monthly)
World Economic Conditions in Relation to Agricultural Trade (May, Nov.)

Commodity Futures Trading Commission
      233 S. Wacker Dr., 46th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606

Commitments of Traders in Commodity Futures, with Market Concentration Ratios (M)

Superintendent of Documents
      U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402

Construction Review (M) Catalog No. C57,509
Economic Indicators (M) Catalog No. Y4.Ec7
Foreign Agriculture, Including Foreign Crops & Markets (W) Catalog No. A67.7/2
Housing Starts (Construction Reports C.20) (M) Catalog No. C3.215/2
Statistical Abstract of the United States (A)
Survey of Current Business (M) Catalog No. C59.109
Treasury Bulletin (M) Catalog No. T1.3
Weekly Business Statistics (W) Catalog No. C56.109/2

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service
      Washington, DC 20250

The Demand & Price Situation for Forest Products (A)
Forest Survey Reports
National Assessment of Timber Supply and Demand (every 10 years)
Production, Prices, Employment and Trade in Northwest Forest Industries
      (Q) Forest Service, Agriculture Dept., 319 SW Pine St., Portland, OR 97204

U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census
      Suitland, MD 20233

Business Conditions Digest (M)
Current Industrial Reports

U.S. Department of Interior. Bureau of Mines
      Washington, DC 20241

Copper Production (M)
Gold & Silver (M)
Platinum (Q)

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GLOSSARY

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ACTUALS: The physical or cash commodity, as distinguished from commodity futures contracts.

ARBITRAGE: Simultaneous purchase of cash commodities or futures in the same or a different market, in order to profit from a discrepancy in prices. Also includes some aspects of "hedging."

BASIS: The difference between the spot or cash price of a commodity and the futures price of the same commodity. Basis is usually computed to the nearby futures contract, and may represent different time periods, product forms, qualities and locations.

BEAR: One who expects a decline in prices. The opposite of a "bull." A news item is considered bearish if it is expected to bring lower prices.

BID: An offer to buy a specific quantity of a commodity at a stated price.

BOARD ORDER or MARKET IF TOUCHED (MIT) ORDER: An order that becomes a market order when a particular price is reached. A sell MIT is placed above the market; a buy MIT is placed below the market.

BROKER: A person paid a fee or commission for executing buy or sell orders of a customer. In commodity futures trading, the term may refer to (1) Floor Broker--a person who actually executes orders on the trading floor of an exchange; (2) Account Executive, Associated Person, Registered Commodity Representative--the person who deals with customers in the offices of futures commission merchants; and (3) the Futures Commission Merchant.

BULL: One who expects a rise in prices. The opposite of a "bear." A news item is considered bullish if it portends higher prices.

CARRYING CHARGES: Cost of storing a physical commodity over a period of time. Includes insurance, storage, and interest on the invested funds as well as other incidental costs. It is a carrying charge market when there are higher futures prices for each successive contract month. If the carrying charge is adequate to reimburse the holder, it is called a full carrying charge.

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CASH COMMODITY: The physical or actual commodity as distinguished from the futures. Sometimes called spot commodity or actuals.

CASH MARKET: A market for immediate delivery of and payment for cash commodities.

CASH PRICE: The price in the marketplace for actual cash or spot commodities to be delivered via customary market channels.

CHARTING: The use of graphs and charts in the technical analysis of futures markets to plot trends of price movements, average movements of price, and volume and open interest.

CHURNING: Excessive trading which permits the broker to derive a profit in commissions while disregarding the best interests of the customer.

CLEARING: The procedure through which the clearing house or association of a futures exchange becomes buyer to each seller of a futures contract, and seller to each buyer, on a daily basis, assuming responsibility for protecting buyers and sellers from financial loss by assuring performance on each contract.

CLOSE, THE: The period at the end of the trading session officially designated by the exchange during which all transactions are considered made "at the close."

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION (CFTC): The Federal regulatory agency established by the CFTC Act of 1974 to administer the Commodity Exchange Act and to generally oversee the operations of the futures industry.

CONTRACT MONTH: The month in which delivery is to be made in accordance with a futures contract.

COVER: (1) Purchasing futures to offset a short position; (2) to have in hand the physical cash commodity when a short futures sale is made, or to acquire the commodity that might be deliverable on a short sale.

DAY TRADING: Establishing and offsetting the same futures market position within the time of a single trading session or day.

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