A wave of US soybeans reached Chinese shores this year as a deal between the two nations revived the trade. But the delay of President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing is clouding prospects over how long the influx will last. China brought in 1.45 million tons of US soybeans in February, the most since June, according to data from China customs. That added to 38,002 tons that arrived in January. Th...
A wave of US soybeans reached Chinese shores this year as a deal between the two nations revived the trade. But the delay of President Donald Trump’s visit to Beijing is clouding prospects over how long the influx will last. China brought in 1.45 million tons of US soybeans in February, the most since June, according to data from China customs. That added to 38,002 tons that arrived in January. They mark the first arrivals of a flurry of cargoes booked by state buyers after Trump and counterpart Xi Jinping struck a trade truce in late October. Still, after meeting an initial 12-million-ton pledge, China’s purchases have recently stalled. Traders expected fresh buying could materialize near a Trump and Xi summit that was slated for late March, but the US president is now focused on US military operations in Iran and said this week that the meeting has been postponed to mid-May. The uncertainty has weighed on soybean prices, with Chicago futures headed for a 4.3% weekly drop, the most in nearly a year and breaking a six-week rally. Hedge funds had been heavily long on soybeans, which also left the market vulnerable to a correction, according to Matt Bennett , co-founder at AgMarket.net. Trump signaled “the meeting might be off. Now we’ve found out later that the meeting was just going to be postponed,” Bennett said in an appearance on WillAg.Org’s Closing Market Report broadcast on Thursday. “I think they all got spooked by a combination of those two things along with a little better forecast for Argentina.” China’s US soybean imports also remain much lower than those from top supplier Brazil. The country’s market share has grown amid Beijing’s years-long push to diversify purchases and cut dependence on the US. Brazilian imports totaled 6.56 million tons in the first two months of 2026, more than 80% higher than a year earlier, according to the data. Soybeans in Chicago rose 0.3% to $11.725 a bushel Wheat and corn both fell slightly
U.S. Mint can begin to produce Trump commemorative gold coin toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP WASHINGTON — A federal arts commission on Thursday approved the final design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing President Donald Trump's image to help celebrate America's 250th birthday on July 4. The vote by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members are supporters of the Republican presid...
U.S. Mint can begin to produce Trump commemorative gold coin toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP WASHINGTON — A federal arts commission on Thursday approved the final design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing President Donald Trump's image to help celebrate America's 250th birthday on July 4. The vote by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members are supporters of the Republican president and were appointed by him earlier this year, was without objection. It clears the way for the U.S. Mint to begin production on the coin, whose size and denomination are still under discussion. "As we approach our 250th birthday, we are thrilled to prepare coins that represent the enduring spirit of our country and democracy, and there is no profile more emblematic for the front of such coins than that of our serving President, Donald J. Trump," U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement. Sponsor Message The unprecedented move marks yet another example of Trump and his allies circumventing conventional past presidential practices — and even the law — to get what he wants. It's the latest instance of Trump putting his name and likeness in the historical archive, following his renaming of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships, among other tributes. Federal law says no living president can appear on U.S. currency. But Megan Sullivan, the acting chief of the Office of Design Management at the Mint, said the Treasury secretary has authority to authorize the minting and issuance of new 24-karat gold coins, which Scott Bessent has used to get around that prohibition and put Trump on a coin. She presented the coin's final design at the commission's March meeting on Thursday and said Trump had approved it. "It is my understanding that the secretary of the Treasury presented this design, as well as others, to the president and these were his selection," Sullivan said. The White House and the Mint did not immediat...
Hi, this is Allen Wan in Shanghai. President Donald Trump postponed his highly anticipated trip to China set for later this month. Far from being disappointed, Beijing is probably at least a tad relieved . Besides frustration at the perceived lack of preparation by the US for the big summit, China was apparently concerned that hosting Trump could be seen as condoning the US leader’s actions in Ira...
Hi, this is Allen Wan in Shanghai. President Donald Trump postponed his highly anticipated trip to China set for later this month. Far from being disappointed, Beijing is probably at least a tad relieved . Besides frustration at the perceived lack of preparation by the US for the big summit, China was apparently concerned that hosting Trump could be seen as condoning the US leader’s actions in Iran , especially if the fighting was ongoing. China has said and done very little about the war that the US and Israel launched against Iran — one of Beijing’s friends — beyond calling for a ceasefire and sidestepping Trump’s inexplicable request to send ships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz . Instead, a meeting with President Xi Jinping will probably take place in “about five or six weeks,” said Trump. The Chinese side hasn’t confirmed a date, giving it wiggle room if the mercurial US leader changes his mind again. There is little reason to believe that a short postponement will upend the improvement in US-China relations in recent months, given the good vibes coming out of a meeting in Paris last weekend between top officials from the nations. But uncertainty is anathema to Xi. China’s economy is projected to slow even further this year after the government set its most modest growth target in three decades, hamstrung by a property collapse, slumping consumption and lingering deflation. Those are all the reasons China needs to refrain from linking the war with the trade truce. Never mind that Iran was a reliable supplier of cheap oil , and a member of the Global South nations that Beijing wants to be seen as leading. The trade truce has indeed paid off for Xi, clearing the way for his country to boost exports around the world. It has also seen the Trump administration change course on tech export controls, meaning Nvidia can sell H200 AI accelerators to the nation. This week, CEO Jensen Huang said Nvidia was firing up production of those chips for customers in China . A...
Key Points Social Security recipients received a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their benefits this year. Medicare premiums increased for its plans. Medicare premium increases won't exceed the dollar increase you receive from Social Security's COLA. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Social Security is a much-needed source of income for millions, but it...
Key Points Social Security recipients received a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to their benefits this year. Medicare premiums increased for its plans. Medicare premium increases won't exceed the dollar increase you receive from Social Security's COLA. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › Social Security is a much-needed source of income for millions, but its purchasing power erodes if benefits remain the same while prices keep rising. That's why, in most years, Social Security applies a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that kicks in on Jan. 1. The amount of the COLA is determined by changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), a metric that tracks the price changes of common goods and services. This year, the COLA was 2.8%. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » At an average benefit of $2,000, the 2.8% boost would mean $56 more monthly. While retirees surely appreciate any increase in their monthly benefits, many will find that changes in Medicare costs offset much of that increase. What Medicare changes happened in 2026? Although Medicare is a helpful medical program, it doesn't come free. It has deductibles and premiums like any standard health insurance plan. Unfortunately, those have gone up this year. The deductible for Part A (hospital insurance) is increasing by $60 to $1,736; the deductible for Part B (medical insurance) is increasing by $26 to $283. Premium-wise, Part B is increasing by $17.90 to $202.90. Part A is premium-free for people who worked at least 10 years (40 quarters) or whose spouse did. People with 30 to 39 quarters of work will have a $311 premium, up $26 from 2025. People with fewer than 30 quarters of work will have a $565 premium, up $47. A note on Part B's and Part D's premiu...
K-pop stars BTS released a new album on Friday billed as reflecting the maturing boy band’s Korean roots and identity, as buzz built ahead of their open-air comeback concert in the heart of Seoul. The Saturday night gig, which is expected to draw around 260,000 people, will be BTS’s first after a hiatus of almost four years while all seven members served compulsory military service. It comes ahead...
K-pop stars BTS released a new album on Friday billed as reflecting the maturing boy band’s Korean roots and identity, as buzz built ahead of their open-air comeback concert in the heart of Seoul. The Saturday night gig, which is expected to draw around 260,000 people, will be BTS’s first after a hiatus of almost four years while all seven members served compulsory military service. It comes ahead of an 82-date world tour. “We gave deep thought to our identity – and how best to express ourselves authentically – across the entirety of our music and performances,” BTS member Jimin said ahead of the release of the group’s album, their fifth studio release. “As an extension of that process, we also revisited the significance of our background as a group comprised entirely of Korean members,” he said in a statement. Beginning with Body to Body and ending with Into the Sun, the 14-track Arirang album takes its name from a folk song about longing and separation that is often dubbed South Korea’s unofficial national anthem. An animated trailer for it appears to draw on the story of Korean students whose singing of the song US anthropologist Alice Fletcher recorded on a cylinder phonograph in Washington in 1896. As the melody plays, the trailer shows the students sailing to the United States before cutting to BTS at Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung Palace – the backdrop for Saturday’s concert. View image in fullscreen BTS will play in front of Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung Palace on Saturday. Photograph: Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images Excitement meanwhile grew in Seoul, with hotels long since booked out and thousands flying in from overseas, ramming home the immense popularity of a multi-award-winning act singing mostly in Korean. BTS are the music vanguard of a Korean cultural wave, which includes Oscar-winning films like Parasite and KPop Demon Hunters, hit dramas like Squid Game, Nobel-winning author Han Kang, food and cosmetics endorsed by the likes of Kylie Jenner. In Seoul, the streets we...