Corn: December corn fell 3/4 cent to $4.10 3/4, forging a near mid-range close. Corn futures were seemingly caught in the crossfire of strength in crude oil, which boosted the soy complex, and wavering wheat futures.
Soybeans: January soybean futures climbed 3 1/4 cents higher to $9.94 1/2 and settled near mid-range. December meal futures fell $2.10 to $299.50, marking the lowest close since Aug. 15. December bean oil futures surged 133 points higher to 45.14 cents; the highest close since July 12. Soybeans saw tepid buying interest building on yesterday’s reversal.
Wheat: December SRW wheat fell 2 3/4 cents to $5.70 1/2 but forged a high-range close, while December HRW wheat fell 6 1/2 cents to $5.69 1/4. December spring wheat futures closed down 4 3/4 cents to $6.04 1/4. Wheat futures continued to combat technical headwinds, with U.S. dollar strength coming in with the assist.
Cotton: December cotton futures fell 35 points to 69.57 cents, closing nearer session lows. Cotton futures continue to undergo persistent selling pressure despite an uptick in export sales.
Cattle: December cattle futures fell 12.5 cents to $186.30, while November feeders dropped 12.5 cents to $245.375. The October live cattle and feeder cattle contracts climbed $4.60 to $193.00 and $1.025 to $251.975, respectively, at their noon CDT expirations. Nearby cattle futures spent the session carving a narrow range, as technical support and near-term oversold conditions led traders to pause following strong selling efforts over the past two sessions.
Hogs: Hog futures posted a mixed performance Thursday, with nearby December futures falling 57.5 cents to $83.80. The cash hog and wholesale pork markets continued performing remarkably well at midweek.