I've heard that 2/3rds of US Soybean production is sold to China. Heard they were considering tariffs on soybeans too...
I somehow doubt that any other country could easily step in and produce that many soybeans... I also doubt that China would be willing to impose these tariffs for long, if it meant they were going to have to pay a lot higher prices for soybeans, pork, etc...
It's all a dance... I'm not really a Trump supporter, but I have no problem at all with his trying to get tough on trade imbalance with China.
Regarding soybeans here are some comments from a grain commentary that I follow:
"The efficiency of the cash markets was on display over the past 24 hours.
China waited until their Dalian exchange was closed to put out their tariff announcement.
FOB values ex Brazil exploded, jumping from 120 over for May to trading at 180 for May and 190 for July.
Cash traders who had FOB Brazil bot with non China destination quickly swapped out and put at least a dollar
in their pocket. Sold Brazil and bot US. Not bad on a 2 mil bu panamax.
My contact in Brazil tells me they bot A LOT of beans from their farmers yesterday and the most interesting comment:
Cash traders in Brazil were contacting US shippers trying to buy US beans. At a 1.10 to 1.20 discount they can figure out
how to make the US beans still work. Anyone think this tariff stuff will work? Anyone think that US origin beans that are bot by
Brazil traders won't somehow find their way into China - maybe with Brazil stamped documents?"
Z