Corn, Soybeans and Cattle Rise on USDA Reports and Fund Positioning Shifts

Overview

• Corn futures settled 6 to 7 cents higher, soybeans added 15 to 18 cents, and feeder cattle gained about $2.65 to $2.90 as live cattle closed mostly higher.
• USDA export inspections showed 1.207 MMT of corn shipped for the week ending Jan. 1, while soybean loadings reached 980,518 MT led by China.
• Weekly export sales caught up through Dec. 25 registered 756,419 MT of corn (a marketing‑year low) and 1.178 MMT of soybeans for 2025/26.
• CFTC data through Dec. 30 indicated managed money turned net short corn by 23,584 contracts and trimmed the soybean net long by 25,841 to 84,562.
• Cash cattle trade held at $232–$233 with boxed beef higher and Monday’s federally inspected slaughter estimated at 115,000 head.