Hedge funds fleeing crops amid big supply

New York

WITH excesses building in everything from cotton to wheat, hedge funds can't seem to get away from crop markets fast enough.

Bumper global harvests and slowing demand will push combined inventories of corn, soyabeans and wheat to a record, according to US government data. Those bountiful supplies prompted money managers to lower their bets on higher prices for a fifth straight week, US government data show.