Chicago corn ends unchanged on export demand, weaker US dollar
CORN•Corn futures finish mostly steady
Chicago Board of Trade corn futures ended mostly steady on Friday in a choppy day of trading, as news of fresh export demand and weakness in the U.S. dollar helped keep a floor under prices, market analysts said.
Most-active December corn CZ26 finished unchanged at $4.62 a bushel, though the most-active contract Cv1 ended the week lower for a second straight week.
Export demand and a weaker dollar support prices
- Exporters sold 286,097 metric tons of U.S. corn to Mexico, with most for delivery in 2027-28, USDA confirmed in its daily reporting system.
- A weaker dollar makes U.S. exports more attractive to overseas buyers.
Market positioning turns to upcoming USDA reports
Investors spent part of the day adjusting positions ahead of next week's key government crop reports. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is set to release its monthly crop supply and demand report on August 12, and will also update its yield, production and harvest acreage numbers for corn and soybeans.
USDA is expected to peg 2026-27 U.S. corn production at 15.934 billion bushels, down from its July estimate of 16 billion, and to trim its estimate of 2026-27 U.S. corn ending stocks to 1.725 billion bushels from 1.790 billion, analysts said.
