Many commodities — especially fruits, vegetables, and other highly seasonal products — are only traded during specific parts of the year. When a country is not actively exporting or selling a commodity, you will see gaps in pricing data. These gaps represent periods of no market activity, meaning there are no live market transactions to report.
During these periods, Helios does not generate price predictions. Without historical transaction data for that time of year, there is no reliable foundation for producing a forecast.
This period is different from the “off-season” period in a growing season calendar. There are many cases where a country is not currently trading/exporting produce, although the crop is technically in season. It is also the case where the crop itself could be “off-season”, but there was enough supply or storage to allow for the commodity to continue to be sold.
You will see “no market activity” periods marked on the chart and table.
In the chart, the time period will have a grey background, and when hovering, you can see it tagged as a period of “no market activity”, along with a definition.
In the table, if an upcoming price prediction falls during an off-season/no market activity period, that section will have “Off-season” instead of the price prediction.
How “No Market Activity” Differs From Growing Season Off-Season
It’s important to distinguish between:
No market activity (pricing off-season)
Growing season off-season (agricultural cycle)
These two concepts do not always align.
A country may be in-season agriculturally but still not exporting or selling the commodity.
Example: Domestic consumption may take priority during certain growth phases, or the crop is currently being planted or growing.
A commodity may be off-season agriculturally, yet still have enough storage or stock to continue being sold.
In these cases, pricing continues even though the crop is not actively being harvested.
Because trade behavior and agricultural cycles don’t always match, Helios marks “no market activity” separately from the crop’s growing season status.
How No Market Activity Appears in the Platform
On the Pricing Chart
Periods of no market activity appear with a grey background.
Hovering over these sections displays a label indicating “No Market Activity”, along with a definition for clarity.
On the Pricing Table
If a price prediction falls within a no-market-activity period, the prediction cell is replaced with “Off-season” instead of a numerical value.
Historical rows also show no pricing values during these months.
These indicators ensure users understand that prices are absent because the commodity is not being traded, not because of missing data.