Wheat prices trade ‘limit up’ again, hit highest in nearly 14 years

Wheat futures reached new multiyear highs Wednesday, as war between major exporters Russia and Ukraine continued to raise concerns about the global supply of the commodity.

The moves in the commodity market come amid reports that Russian forces have surrounded two key cities in southern Ukraine.

Wheat futures hit $10.59 per bushel, up 7.62%, as of 9:39 a.m. ET. Wednesday’s price marks the highest level since wheat traded at $11.19 on March 25, 2008.

For a second consecutive day, wheat was at “limit up,” meaning it reached the highest amount the price of a commodity is allowed to increase in a single day.

“Look at what’s happening to wheat prices right now. We could be talking about a major food inflation story,” Helima Croft, RBC Capital Markets’ head of global commodity strategy, told CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” on Wednesday morning.

Russia is the largest exporter of wheat and Ukraine is among the four biggest exporters of the commodity, according to JPMorgan. Of the 207 million ton international wheat trade, 17% comes from Russia and 12% comes from Ukraine, according to Bank of America.

The price of corn, also a major agricultural product of the two countries, hit 747.75 cents per bushel at its highs of Wednesday. Corn futures traded at 730.25 cents per bushel, up 0.6%, as of 9:39 a.m. ET.