By Gus Trompiz and Mei Mei Chu PARIS/BEIJING, July 31 (Reuters) - Chicago soybean and corn futures ticked up on Wednesday, supported by a broader recovery in commodities, but prices remained near their lowest since 2020 as favourable U.S. crop prospects weighed. Wheat edged down for a second session to also hover above its lowest since 2020, with seasonal supply pressure from northern hemisphere harvests continuing to pressure prices. The most-active soybean contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) rose 0.8% to $10.29-3/4 a bushel by 0906 GMT, near Monday's low of $10.18 that was a level not seen since October 2020. CBOT corn edged up 0.2% to $4.05-3/4 a bushel, close to its end-June low of $3.99-1/2 that was its weakest price since November 2020. CBOT wheat eased 0.1% to $5.23-1/4 a bushel, near Monday's low of $5.14-1/2 that was a level not seen since August 2020. Crude oil rebounded on Wednesday from seven-week lows amid heightened tensions in the Middle East after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran. Investors were also awaiting a U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate announcement later in the day for further direction. But worries about China's economy hung over commodities while favourable crop prospects in the United States were still curbing grain prices. "Despite gains during the past 24 hours, the commodity sector is heading for a more than 4% loss on the month, its worst performance in 14 months driven by China growth concerns," Saxo Bank said in a note. In grains, concerns about hot, dry weather in the central U.S have been tempered by forecasts suggesting storms will bring some rain while temperatures will ease in the week ahead. "Hot weather expected across much of the Corn Belt in late July and early August may be less severe than initially forecast," said Cheang Kang Wei, assistant vice president at StoneX in Singapore. The soybean market has also been dented by last week's U.S court ruling last week against the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to deny small oil refiners temporary waivers from a biofuels blending programme. That could curb demand for biodiesel made with soyoil. France's main wheat crop may only reach 26 million metric tons this year, a level not seen since the 1980s, as harvest results confirm a plunge in yields following months of heavy rain, producers' group AGPB said on Tuesday. But analysts have also been raising estimates for the harvest in top wheat exporter Russia. Purchases by Tunisia and Jordan on Tuesday showed some fresh demand after recent price falls, though Black Sea supplies were expected to dominate again the sales despite signs that Russian prices are bottoming out. Prices at 0906 GMT Last Change Pct Move CBOT wheat 523.25 -0.75 -0.14 CBOT corn 405.75 0.75 0.19 CBOT soy 1029.75 8.50 0.83 Paris wheat 217.00 1.75 0.81 Paris maize 214.00 -1.00 -0.47 Paris rapeseed 458.00 7.00 1.55 WTI crude oil 76.69 1.96 2.62 Euro/dlr 1.08 0.00 0.07 Most active contracts - Wheat, corn and soy US cents/bushel, Paris futures in euros per metric ton (Reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris and Mei Mei Chu in Beijing; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Varun H K, Alexandra Hudson)
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410.25 USc | -0.73% | +6.77% | - | ||
578.25 USc | -2.77% | +4.10% | - | ||
340.35 PTS | +0.37% | +1.98% | - | ||
391.18 PTS | -0.35% | +0.39% | - | ||
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- Chicago corn and soybeans steady, wheat stays weak