Soft commodities

Nut lovers beware. We are facing a cashew supply crunch. Unusually hot and dry weather, a result of the El Niño phenomenon, has reduced crops in Vietn…

A surge in demand for peanuts in China is outstripping supply from the top exporter Argentina, sending the price of the legumes soaring.

Production is set to fall by a quarter and inventories are at a six-year low. That sounds like a recipe for higher prices for orange juice. But demand…

Salmon prices are leaping – which is great news for smart fish farms, says Alex Williams.

The salmon market is facing a global supply shock thanks to a toxic sea algae related to the unusually high water temperatures caused by the El Niño p…

Asset allocation is at least as important as individual share selection. So where should you be putting your money? Here’s our monthly take on the maj…

Commodity prices have hit their lowest level since the late 1990s. And while there is scope for a rally in 2016, an upturn is unlikely to mark the sta…

Precision agriculture – a mixture of big data and robotics – will squeeze ever-greater yields from every acre of crop, says Merryn Somerset Webb.

Many people predict a future where there is not enough food to go round, as populations grow. But it’s quite possible we will have too much food, says…

Dairy farmers are protesting against low milk prices and farmers unions want the government to intervene. Are supermarkets to blame, or is dairy produ…

Consumer prices for olive oil have climbed by an average of 10% worldwide this year due to drought and disease in southern Europe.

For a long time, agriculture in Latin America focused on a few key cash crops. Now, the industry is diversifying – and profiting. James McKeigue expla…

The fall in commodity prices has moved centre stage in investors' worries, with the pace quickening in the past few days.

The Bloomberg Commodity index, which tracks 22 hard and soft raw materials, has fallen to a 13-year low.

The global food and agricultural economy is undergoing real change. Professional stockpickers Henry Boucher and Edward Bailey tip three shares to prof…

Now is still a great time to plough your money into Latin American agriculture. James McKeigue explains why, and tips one stock set to profit.

The price of extra virgin olive oil has hit a seven-year-high following a bad harvest in southern Europe.

Palm oil recently hit a five-year low, but the Chinese demand could see prices pick up.

As a formidable bull market engulfs agricultural land, firms supplying farm equipment, seeds and sprays are set to soar. Jonathan Compton tips the bes…

Cocoa supplies have struggled to keep pace with the growing demand for high-quality chocolate in emerging markets.

Asset allocation is at least as important as individual share selection. So where should you be putting your money? Here’s our monthly take on the maj…

A drought in Brazil has sent the price of high-quality coffee soaring so far this year.

Asset allocation is at least as important as individual share selection. So where should you be putting your money? We give our monthly view on the ma…

There's very little worth buying at the moment that is genuinely cheap. But this timber fund might fit the bill, says Merryn Somerset Webb.