US soybean trade with China already strained before Trump's return -Braun
Repeats column first published on Thursday. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a market analyst for Reuters.
By Karen Braun
NAPERVILLE, Illinois, Nov 7 (Reuters) -Uncertainty increased for U.S. soybean exporters this week with Donald Trump's election win, since shipments to top customer China were severely curbed when a trade war began during Trump’s first presidency.
However, U.S. soybean trade to China was already going poorly prior to Tuesday’s election, and some of the latest statistics are the most dismal since the trade war.
As of Oct. 31, U.S. soybean sales for export to China in 2024-25 were a 16-year, non-trade-war low, down about 1% from the same date a year ago.
Further, China accounts for only 44% of total U.S. soybean sales, an 18-year low when once again excluding the trade-war years of 2018 and 2019.
Many U.S. soybean cargoes that eventually ship to China are originally sold without a specified destination, but this does not explain China’s absence.
Combined sales to China and unknown destinations were up 8% on the year as of Oct. 31, but they accounted for only 65% of total sales. That is a 16-year, non-trade war low, and it is below the year-ago rate of 71%.
This highlights China’s increasing reliance on its top soybean supplier Brazil, and any further escalation of trade tensions between Washington and Beijing could further shut out U.S. soybean producers from the Chinese market.
But the data suggests this might already be happening. President Joe Biden’s administration did not exactly act to foster the trade relationship, maintaining and adding to Trump-era tariffs on Chinese goods. The latest round of tariff hikes landed in September.
NOT ALL BAD NEWS
Aside from the meager sales to China, U.S. soybean export sales have been respectable. Total sales as of Oct. 31 were up 18% on the year, and the volume accounted for 56% of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s export target for 2024-25, which began on Sept. 1.
That portion is close to the date’s three-year average but a few percentage points below the longer-term one, suggesting that the current export forecast might be OK for now, especially with the recent sales pace.
Bookings in the six weeks ended Oct. 31 totaled almost 10.9 million metric tons, the period’s third-largest volume. That represents 22% of USDA’s 2024-25 export outlook, the largest share sold during this time frame since 2010.
However, that share is large partly because USDA’s 50.3 million-ton forecast is relatively light. This volume is below average, especially given a record U.S. soybean crop, reflecting a shift toward domestic soybean processing and away from exports.
China's lack of enthusiasm over U.S. soybeans frees up supplies for other importers, but there is a limit to how much this offset can boost U.S. exports. Global soybean consumption, excluding China, has risen roughly 11% since the original trade war began six years ago.
But Brazil’s crop has expanded 30% in that same time frame, outpacing global demand growth sans China by more than 10 million tons. This may pose a threat to the U.S. soybean export program along the same magnitude as another trade war with China.
Karen Braun is a market analyst for Reuters. Views expressed above are her own.
Graphic- U.S. soybean export sales to China: Oct. 31 https://tmsnrt.rs/3O0UJGM
Writing by Karen Braun
Editing by Matthew Lewis
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Penafian: Entiti XM Group menyediakan perkhidmatan pelaksanaan sahaja dan akses ke Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian, yang membolehkan sesorang melihat dan/atau menggunakan kandungan yang ada di dalam atau melalui laman web, tidak bertujuan untuk mengubah atau memperluas, juga tidak mengubah atau mengembangkannya. Akses dan penggunaan tersebut tertakluk kepada: (i) Terma dan Syarat; (ii) Amaran Risiko; dan Penafian Penuh. Oleh itu, kandungan sedemikian disediakan tidak lebih dari sekadar maklumat umum. Terutamanya, perlu diketahui bahawa kandungan Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian bukan permintaan, atau tawaran untuk melakukan transaksi dalam pasaran kewangan. Berdagang dalam mana-mana pasaran kewangan melibatkan tahap risiko yang besar terhadap modal anda.
Semua bahan yang diterbitkan di Kemudahan Dagangan Atas Talian kami bertujuan hanya untuk tujuan pendidikan/maklumat dan tidak mengandungi – dan tidak boleh dianggap mengandungi nasihat kewangan, cukai pelaburan atau dagangan dan cadangan, atau rekod harga dagangan kami, atau tawaran, atau permintaan untuk suatu transaksi dalam sebarang instrumen kewangan atau promosi kewangan yang tidak diminta kepada anda.
Sebarang kandungan pihak ketiga serta kandungan yang disediakan oleh XM, seperti pendapat, berita, penyelidikan, analisis, harga, maklumat lain atau pautan ke laman web pihak ketiga yang terdapat dalam laman web ini disediakan berdasarkan "seadanya" sebagai ulasan pasaran umum dan bukanlah nasihat pelaburan. Sesuai dengan apa-apa kandungan yang ditafsir sebagai penyelidikan pelaburan, anda mestilah ambil perhatian dan menerima bahawa kandungan tersebut tidak bertujuan dan tidak sediakan berdasarkan keperluan undang-undang yang direka untuk mempromosikan penyelidikan pelaburan bebas dan oleh itu, ia dianggap sebagai komunikasi pemasaran di bawah peraturan dan undang-undang yang berkaitan. SIla pastikan bahawa anda telah membaca dan memahami Notifikasi mengenai Penyelidikan Pelaburan Bukan Bebas dan Amaran Risiko mengenai maklumat di atas yang boleh diakses di sini.
