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Key people at The Jacobsen.
The Jacobsen was founded in 1865 by Timothy Cartwright (Co-founder).
The Jacobsen operates as a specialized price reporting agency, providing daily and historical price assessments and forecasts for agricultural and energy commodities. The company’s core offering includes market-reflective price data tailored primarily for North American markets, encompassing various regional trading flows. This crucial information equips market participants with essential insights for strategic analysis and informed trading decisions across diverse commodity sectors.
Founded in 1865 by R.C. Jacobsen in Chicago, the company built a long-standing legacy in commodity price reporting. Its establishment was driven by the early recognition of a critical market need for transparent and reliable price information to support growing agricultural and industrial economies. Over more than a century, it developed into a trusted source for market intelligence before eventually becoming part of Fastmarkets.
The Jacobsen’s benchmark prices are widely utilized by professionals and organizations operating within commodity markets, with data informing decisions in sectors like biodiesel, oils, grain, and leather. Its overarching mission, now within the Fastmarkets portfolio, remains focused on delivering unbiased, high-quality price transparency and analytical tools to empower market stakeholders in navigating complex global commodity landscapes.
The Jacobsen was founded in 1865 by Timothy Cartwright (Co-founder).
Key people at The Jacobsen.
The Jacobsen is a longstanding agricultural price reporting agency established in 1865, specializing in delivering transparent pricing, market commentary, and forecasts for opaque commodities markets in agriculture and energy.[1][4][5] It sets benchmarks for commodities trading through unbiased analysis, covering areas like sausage casings, biodiesel, animal fats and oils, animal proteins, grain and feed ingredients, vegetable oils, and palm oil, backed by experienced analysts who reevaluate methodologies every six months.[1][5][6] Now part of Fastmarkets (following acquisitions including by Euromoney Institutional Investor in 2021), it provides daily price assessments, news, and intelligence to help users navigate global trends, supply-demand fundamentals, and forces like geopolitics and climate challenges.[4][5]
The agency invests in advanced tools like global data visualization, AI, and redundant data systems, doubling its staff in the past two years with plans for further growth, attracting top analysts in emerging and traditional markets.[1]
Founded in 1865 in Chicago using an old iron printing press, The Jacobsen began as a pioneering price reporting agency in commodities, evolving over 160 years into a leader in agricultural and energy market intelligence.[1][5] It has survived as one of the rare companies with such longevity by adapting to market shifts, from print to modern digital tools like AI and data visualization.[1]
Key milestones include its 2021 acquisition by Euromoney Institutional Investor and integration into Fastmarkets, enhancing its reach with improved platforms for price data and forecasts.[4][5] This evolution reflects a commitment to rigorous, neutral reporting amid changing geographies and trade flows.[1]
The Jacobsen rides the wave of digital transformation in commodities trading, where opaque ag and energy markets demand real-time transparency amid volatility from geopolitics, climate events, and sustainability shifts like biofuel demand.[5] Its timing aligns with rising needs for AI-driven forecasting and data analytics, as seen in expansions to palm oil assessments and grain market insights at events like Global Grain Geneva 2025.[1][5]
Market forces favoring it include ample global supplies pressuring prices (e.g., wheat futures) and growing Asian/European interest in biofuels, amplified by Fastmarkets' infrastructure for API/FTP data delivery.[5][6] It influences the ecosystem by enabling confident decisions for traders, producers, and investors, standardizing benchmarks that shape supply chains and risk strategies in a "new normal" of uncertainty.[1][5]
The Jacobsen is poised for expansion in AI-enhanced ag commodities intelligence, with staff growth and Fastmarkets backing fueling deeper coverage of sustainability-driven trends like biofuels and climate-resilient grains.[1][5] Emerging forces—geopolitical risks, zero-emissions demands, and real-time data needs via APIs—will shape its path, potentially extending to more niche markets.[5][6]
Its influence may evolve by powering broader platforms like LSEG Workspace, solidifying its 160-year benchmark role in an increasingly data-hungry trading world, much like its pivot from print presses to global AI analytics.[1][6]
