April 6 (Reuters) - Chicago corn futures dipped in early Asian trading on Thursday, amid improved weather outlook for planting season in the United States, and with traders adjusting positions ahead of the Easter holiday weekend.
Wheat and soybeans were also slightly weaker.
FUNDAMENTALS
* The most-active corn contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) was down 0.4% at $6.50-1/4 a bushel, as of 0213 GMT. Wheat lost 0.2% to $6.80-3/4 a bushel, while soybeans shed 0.2% to $15.08-1/2 a bushel.
* Focus has shifted to forecasts of a drier, warmer weather that may boost spring field work in the U.S. northern farm belt, which was hit by snow this week, and away from poor conditions for drought-affected winter wheat in the southern Plain.
* After the Easter holidays, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is scheduled to release its April crop supply/demand report on Tuesday, April 11, at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT). The report will include figures for Argentine and Brazilian 2022-23 production of corn and soybeans.
* Argentina's government announced a new plan setting a special exchange rate of 300 pesos per dollar to encourage soybean exports amid severe financial difficulties and foreign exchange shortages.
* Argentina's grains inspectors union ended a week-long strike after securing a deal to more than double salaries in line with the country's surging inflation rate, it said on Wednesday.
* Soft wheat exports from the European Union in the 2022/23 season that started in July had reached 23.15 million tonnes by April 2, compared with 21.52 million by the same week in 2021/22, data published by the European Commission showed.
* Egypt's General Authority for Supply Commodities set an international tender for wheat for shipment from May 10-20 and/or May 21-31, with an offers deadline on April 6.
* Commodity funds were net sellers of CBOT corn, soybeans, wheat, soymeal and soyoil futures contracts on Wednesday, traders said.
MARKET NEWS
* Asian stocks and U.S. equity futures sank while bonds and the safe-haven U.S. dollar and Japanese yen were bid as mounting evidence of a U.S. slowdown fuelled worries for a global recession.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT)
0430 India Cash Reserve Ratio
0600 Germany Industrial Output Feb
0600 UK Halifax House Prices Mar
0830 UK All Sector PMI Mar
0830 UK S&P Global/CIPS Cons PMI Mar
1230 US Initial Jobless Claims weekly
