In today's fast-paced world, staying ahead in the commodity trading & procurement game requires more than just intuition and traditional data analysis. Enter the CommodiTrack Dashboard—a groundbreaking upgrade to our platform designed to transform how users interact with and interpret agricultural commodity data.

How much time have you really spent thinking about the soil, beneath your feet?  Probably not much! You see, mostly everything you eat relies on healthy soil that can grow and support crops - but that could soon be a thing of the past.  Soil degradation is accelerating faster than at any point in modern history and is already impacting the amount of food we produce. 

Most of us don’t associate rising sea levels with water scarcity.  After all, wouldn’t more water from melting glaciers mean… more water? In fact, rising sea levels driven by global warming are increasingly encroaching on coastal farmlands. This phenomenon, known as saltwater intrusion, means that as sea levels rise, they push saltwater into freshwater sources, damaging crops and soil.

The last eight years since the Paris Agreement was signed have been heartbreaking. The world’s leaders have gone from being clear-eyed visionaries, united in their efforts to save our planet, to more like sad ostriches, heads buried deeply in the sand. Or worse, modern Nero’s, playing the violin to pretend all can still be well while our planet burns. 

We are deeply passionate about bringing our cutting edge AI platform to the problems faced by both the private AND public sector, and are thrilled to announce today that Helios’ platform is now available on the General Services Administration (GSA) schedule!

Northern Ghana is experiencing one of the worst droughts in its history, which has significantly impacted the country's grain production, particularly in regions that account for about 62% of Ghana's grain output. Over the past two months, drought and near-drought conditions have escalated, putting as much as 1.8 million hectares of land at risk.

The question we’re looking to answer is: If you had been using our Cocoa climate risk signals over the past 10 years, how accurate and profitable would they have been? In this blog post, we tested the predictiveness of Helios’ climate risk signals against Cocoa prices, to identify the optimal long only trading strategy. Spoiler: for the vast majority of trades, our risk signal is a leading indicator of price increases.

We're SO thrilled to be this year's Agri Business Review Commodity Company of the Year! This award is most special to us because we were nominated by a group of our peers and customers, who have seen the extraordinary strides we've made this year in building out the most comprehensive and predictive climate risk platform to predict soft commodity prices. Onward and upward!

Did you know that India, the world's second-largest producer of rice, is considering easing export restrictions on non-basmati rice? This decision, expected to be finalized this week, comes as India grapples with record-high rice stocks and international pressure to ensure global food security.

We tested the predictiveness of Helios’ climate risk signals against Corn prices to identify exactly how effective is our platform at predicting the price of soft commodities. The results? Our risk signal becomes predictive above the 25% weighted risk threshold. For almost all trades above this threshold, the risk signal is a leading indicator of price increases and a trader would make money.

Is the era of delicious, bubbly, dry French champagne coming to an end after all these centuries? So many food items we’ve taken for granted for decades are at risk - and sadly our favorite celebration drink may be among them. The Champagne region in France, known for its unique climate that gives its sparkling wine its distinctive taste, is facing unprecedented challenges due to rising temperatures and unpredictable weather.

As global citizens, we think and worry about climate change all the time. We worry about how rising sea levels will flood our cities, how hotter summers will make outdoor activities impossible, and, most importantly, how a changing climate dramatically affects agriculture. The link between these agricultural disruptions and rising food prices is clear and direct.

Traditionally, food prices have been impacted by climate events only after the disaster occurred. Now, it isn't just the actual occurrence of these disasters but the mere anticipation of such events that can cause food prices to soar.

Brazilians have long joked that their country is blessed: free from the hurricanes, volcanoes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters that torment the U.S. and other Latin American countries. However, the narrative of safety is rapidly changing as extreme weather events become more common.

This is a post directed at you, the retail buyer of fruits and veggies. You know why? Because you are probably a terrible customer. Last week, Helios got to spend time with an awesome group of AG start-ups as part of the International Fresh Produce Association’s cohort of Ag Innovators. And yet, what was most surprising and heartbreaking about the whole trip was the sheer amount of waste we saw everywhere.

From time to time we’ll look to share with our readers some of the more interesting trading insights, and potential price movements, of key commodities we cover. Our hedge fund and trading customers get these every week, so sign up if you’d like more of this! Today, we’re focusing on Brazilian coffee and its potential impact on the broader coffee market.

Wheat prices are experiencing a dramatic surge, with the wheat futures contract skyrocketing from $5.53 per bushel on April 18, 2024, to $6.87 per bushel by May 13 - an astounding 24% rise in a few weeks. This surge marks the highest level since August 2023 and signals a major shift in the global commodity market. So what in the world is going on with wheat?

Helios was featured in an Integrity Research Newsletter this past week, which boasts a 75,000+ readership of traders! Integrity Research focuses on the announcement of our new API feature - and how commodity traders & agricultural buyers can seamlessly ingest our data for their models and reporting.

The wait is over… Helios 3.0 is finally here! For the first time ever, agricultural buyers can now monitor global growing seasons for the top 50 fruits and vegetables, shift buying patterns accordingly, and get ahead of price increases. Onboard yourself instantly to gain access to our software platform, weekly email summaries, and NEW Global Commodity Reports!

In today’s post, we take a look at the climate issues affecting a local farm’s ability to grow crops. Helios’ platform shows that last year’s rainfall was 20 inches lower than usual - a brutal 29% decline off of the historical average. Typically, with less rainfall you could rely on aquifers to irrigate your crops. But as cities continue to expand and develop, there are fewer wells to draw water from.