Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures turned higher on Tuesday, at one point reaching a near four-week high, bolstered by export demand, crop condition concerns and news that China plans to launch an anti-dumping investigation into imports of Canadian canola, traders said.
The ICE canola contract for November delivery RSX4 dropped seven per cent to its daily limit on the news as the move could disrupt trade in Canada’s main export market for the oilseed.
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Market participants saw the news as an indication that China may seek other oilseed options, such as soybeans and rapeseed, traders said. China’s rapeseed meal futures on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange CRSMcv1 jumped six per cent following the announcement, hitting its highest since Aug. 6.
“There’s no doubt the canola story is giving quite a bit of support to soybean futures today,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. “It’s that and the fact that we’re starting to see Chinese demand for soybeans perk up, even though they’re still severely under-bought.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday confirmed private sales of 132,000 metric tons of U.S. soybeans to China for delivery in the 2024-25 marketing year that begins Sept. 1 – the third soybean sale to top buyer China in the past week.
Adding further support, USDA on Tuesday reported U.S. weekly export inspections of 496,860 metric tons of soybeans for the week ended Aug. 29, which was at the high end of analyst expectations.
CBOT’s most-active soybeans Sv1 ended the day up 12 cents, at $10.12 a bushel. During the session, they rose to $10.24-1/2 a bushel, the highest price since Aug. 7.
Chicago grain futures gained on technical support and bargain buying, as they resumed trading following Monday’s U.S. Labor Day holiday. MKTS/GLOB
Corn futures also were supported by traders expecting the USDA to report crop ratings turning lower in the Midwest, market analysts said.
CBOT corn Cv1 settled up 8-1/4 cents to $4.09-1/4 per bushel, while wheat Wv1 ended up 15-1/4 cents to $5.66-3/4 a bushel.
– Additional reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris and Peter Hobson in Canberra
