By Jonathan Saul and Michael Hogan LONDON/HAMBURG | Fri May 25, 2012 11:12am EDT LONDON/HAMBURG (Reuters) - Syria is struggling to meet its grain import needs because of sanctions, raising the risk of bread shortages that could sap public support for President Bashar al-Assad as he tries to snuff out a 15-month-old uprising. Trade sources said a reluctance among foreign banks, shipowners and grain traders to sell to import-dependent Syria - even though food is not itself subject to sanctions - has forced Damascus into an array of unusually small deals, many arranged by shadowy middlemen around the Middle East and Asia.On Friday, in what might prove to be a turning point on a path toward a politically corrosive food crisis, government data showed the ... Continue reading →

Memorial Day Weekend Heat Wave By Alex Sosnowski, Expert Senior Meteorologist May 25, 2012; 12:55 PM ET Break out the fans and air conditioners and get the pools ready as Mother Nature has a stretch of hot, humid weather just in time for the Memorial Day weekend for portions of the Midwest and East. As cool air with gust winds sweep over the Southwest and snow falls over the high country in the Rockies, building heat over the southern Plains is forecast to surge northeastward later this week. While the pattern is only likely to last several days, it will feature the highest actual temperatures and AccuWeather.com RealFeel® temperatures of the season so far. (The RealFeel temperature incorporates a number of atmospheric conditions to show ... Continue reading →

* USDA plans 30-day comment period on data releases * Chief economist met with grain leaders * Crop reports could move to "mid to late morning"-source By Tom Polansek and Charles Abbott CHICAGO/WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering pushing back the release time for its market-sensitive crop reports to mid- or late-morning, during the height of Chicago trade to possibly minimize market volatility, according to an industry official who met with the agency on Thursday. As the USDA considers whether to adjust its reporting schedule after the CME launched nearly round-the-clock trade this week, USDA Chief Economist Joe Glauber told representatives of major U.S. agricultural trade groups on Thursday that the agency would soon open a 30-day comment period ... Continue reading →

By Ann Saphir CHICAGO | Wed May 23, 2012 12:54pm EDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - Police arrested 15 people blocking the main artery through Chicago's financial district on Wednesday during a demonstration against state tax breaks won last year by CME Group, the world's largest futures exchange company. The 15 men and women, three of whom were in wheelchairs, were escorted to the nearby plaza in front of the Chicago Board of Trade building, where they were detained in an area cordoned off with yellow tape while officers wrote tickets. CME owns the Board of Trade, which offers futures on corn, soybeans and Treasuries."CME needs to pay their taxes," said Annette Jones, 69, after she was ticketed and released. She said her job as a home ... Continue reading →

Top News UPDATE 2-U.S. risk council identifies initial set of clearinghouses Tue, May 22 19:48 PM EDT * FSOC did not release name of designated clearinghouses * Designating firms will have chance to contest decision * CME says it has been designated and will not contest decision By Dave Clarke and Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) - A council of U.S. regulators on Tuesday approved an initial list of clearinghouses to be designated as "systemically important," a label that would subject them to new rules and tougher oversight. The group of regulators, the Financial Stability Oversight Council, did not disclose names of the clearinghouses. Under Dodd-Frank, the financial reform law that created the council, companies are allowed to contest the designation. The council, whose ... Continue reading →

Tue May 22, 2012 4:45pm EDT * Factor for USDA: different ICE, CME hours * Change in release time is complicated issue-Vilsack* USDA seeks timely, equitable release of info* Trade may be 'live' for June crop reportWASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. Agriculture Department will seek public input before it considers changing the release times of market-moving reports on farm data now that futures markets are open nearly around the clock, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Tuesday."This is a complicated issue," Vilsack told a telephone news conference, adding the department wanted to assure equitable release of information for all market participants.While some traders would prefer USDA to release major reports while markets are closed, others want to capture the instantaneous surges in trading ... Continue reading →

Tue May 22, 2012 6:32pm BST * CME seeks feedback after expanding electronic trading * Floor traders want open-outcry pits to open earlier * Earlier start seen important for crop report days By Tom Polansek and Sam Nelson CHICAGO, May 22 (Reuters) - CME Group, fresh off increasing electronic trading hours for grain futures and options, has asked for feedback about longer hours for open-outcry trading, floor traders said on Tuesday. The massive exchange operator reached out to market participants following complaints from floor traders that the longer electronic cycle will steal volume away from traditional open-outcry pits, particularly on days when the U.S. government issues monthly crop reports, traders said. A grain trader said a CME official called him on Monday "soliciting opinions" about ... Continue reading →

By Kyle Peterson and Nick Carey CHICAGO | Sun May 20, 2012 9:59pm EDT CHICAGO (Reuters) - Baton-swinging police clashed with anti-war protesters marching on the NATO summit in Chicago on Sunday and a lawyers' group representing the demonstrators said at least 12 people were injured, some with head wounds from police batons. More than 60 people were arrested in a melee at the end of a march attended by at least 3,000 people, according to Sarah Gelsomino of the National Lawyers Guild, which represented protesters and attended demonstrations.Chicago police did not immediately provide figures on the number of arrests or injures. By dusk the streets had calmed down.The confrontation began after a 2 1/2 mile march from a Chicago park to near the site ... Continue reading →