Once a supply pattern becomes established, unless there's a weather surprise, we're likely to see it continue at the same rate. While the United States produces a great deal of oranges, its not always enough to feed America's thirst for frozen concentrate orange juice, which the country is importing at near-record levels. While U.S. dependence on the primary contributor Brazil has increased recently, analysts predict imports are leveling off. Cutting the contract size in half part way through the year certainly had something to do with that, but another reason has been the five-year agreement between the United States and Canada that limits the amount of lumber Canada can export free of fees. For consumption, housing starts, repairs and remodeling numbers, interest rates, new housing and existing home sales are all important.
Building permits is a more forward-looking statistic.
But again, the slew of sources for statistics, from Realtor associations to the U.S. Commerce Department, makes analysis daunting. Despite the slight lag time, the sources are timely enough for traders. Nautica Financial Corporation.