LONG AND SHORT OF THE RUSSIAN HEAT WAVE
Heat waves are common in the fertile wheat belt stretching from Siberia to the Black Sea. As such the wheat market pays attention to the droughts in Russian wheat belt. Droughts develop slowly, and in general, markets tend to discount them rationally. News last week of a heat wave in Russia was unique in the sense that the prices acted as though the news was a surprise. Wheat prices in Europe have been rising for six weeks, but in Chicago they caught fire only last week hitting a high of $8.41 a bushel — a 25% rise