CBOT corn sinks on active harvest, positioning ahead of USDA report
CORN•CBOT December corn settled 1-3/4 cents lower at $5.00-1/4 a bushel as clear Midwest weather accelerated harvesting and traders positioned ahead of Friday’s USDA report.
1. Corn futures ease
Chicago Board of Trade corn futures eased on Thursday as clear weather across the Midwest allowed harvesting to accelerate, while traders squared positions ahead of the USDA’s monthly supply and demand report due Friday.
2. Report expectations
Analysts surveyed expected the USDA to lower its estimate of the 2026 U.S. corn yield to 177.7 bushels per acre from 178.5 a month earlier. They expected 2026/27 U.S. ending stocks to rise to 1.670 billion bushels from the USDA’s prior estimate of 1.567 billion.
3. Trade and harvest figures
The USDA reported U.S. corn export sales of 769,500 metric tons for the week ended October 1, within trade expectations of 600,000 to 1.7 million tons. Argentina’s 2025/26 corn harvest was estimated at 64 million metric tons, 6 million above the original forecast, the Buenos Aires Grains Exchange said.
