Soybeans steady but set for weekly loss - CBOT
Wheat edges up, corn flat as US export sales improve
12 December 2025
1 minute read
By: Chicago soybean futures held steady on Friday but remained on track for a second weekly drop, as support from a softer US dollar and Chinese buying was offset by pressure from ample supplies and sluggish US export demand, reported Reuters.
Wheat futures rose and corn futures were unchanged amid healthy US export sales of both crops. Corn was headed for a small weekly gain, while wheat was set for a fourth straight weekly decline due to abundant global supply.
The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) was flat at $10.93-1/4 a bushel at 0110 GMT and down 1.1% from last Friday's close. CBOT wheat rose 0.3% to $5.35 a bushel but was down 0.2% for the week, while corn held at $4.46-1/2 a bushel and was up 0.4% over the week.
The US dollar steadied after two days of weakening following a Federal Reserve rate cut and a less hawkish outlook than expected. A weaker dollar typically boosts US crop competitiveness on export markets.
Soybeans hit a 17-month high of $11.69-1/2 in November on optimism about rapid Chinese purchases, but the rally faded as the actual pace of buying fell short. Even so, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Thursday confirmed sales of 264,000 tons of US soybeans to China and another 226,000 tons to unknown destinations, along with 186,000 tons of corn to unknown buyers.
In China, state stockpiler Sinograin sold most of the soybeans offered in an auction of state reserves, the first of several expected sales aimed at making space for incoming US supplies.
In Brazil, crop agency Conab trimmed its 2025-26 soybean harvest estimate by about 550,000 tons to 177.12 million tons, still a record. Argentina’s Rosario Grains Exchange raised its forecast for the 2025-26 wheat crop to a record 27.7 million tons from 24.5 million tons after favourable weather improved yields.
Major stock indexes mostly rose on Thursday, with the Dow and S&P 500 posting record closing highs as the dollar and US bond yields extended declines.
