Corn Firms on Big Sales as Soybeans, Wheat Slide and Cattle Rally Into Year-End

Holiday-thinned liquidity alongside fresh USDA data shaped the final session, with corn buoyed by a 2.2 MMT sales week as weaker oilseed and wheat figures pressured prices.

Overview

Soybeans fell by about 11–12 cents in nearby contracts and the national cash price slid to $9.67 after weekly sales of 1.056 MMT missed expectations and inspections totaled 750,312 MT, well below last year.
Wheat weakened across SRW, HRW and spring contracts as weekly export sales reached just 147,834 MT for the week of December 18, down sharply from both the prior week and a year earlier.
Corn turned slightly higher after USDA reported 2.2 MMT in weekly export sales for December 18 and EIA showed ethanol production rebounding to 1.12 million bpd for the week ending December 26.
Live cattle extended gains with futures up roughly $1–$2 intraday after Tuesday’s $1.45–$2.27 advance, feeders stayed firm, and cash trade hovered near $229–$230 as boxed beef prices were mixed.
USDA’s APHIS reported additional New World Screwworm detections in Mexico, including a bovine case in southern Tamaulipas near the U.S. border, keeping animal-health risks on traders’ radar.