* Rising stocks, improving planting weather weigh on corn
* Soy higher, led by front months on tight U.S. supplies
* Wheat down for 3rd day but clings to weekly gain (Updates with closing prices)
By Julie Ingwersen
CHICAGO, May 9 (Reuters) – U.S. corn futures fell 1.7 percent on Friday, retreating from a one-month high after the U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its forecasts of global inventories above trade expectations, traders said.
Wheat also fell, but nearby soybean futures surged after the USDA in a monthly supply/demand report cut its forecast of old-crop U.S. ending stocks more than expected.
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At the Chicago Board of Trade, July corn settled down 9 cents at $5.07-1/2 per bushel after touching a one-month top at $5.22-3/4.
July soybeans ended up 17-1/2 cents at $14.87 a bushel, while July wheat finished down 12-3/4 cents at $7.22-1/2 a bushel.
Corn declined after the USDA raised its forecast for 2013-14 world ending stocks of the grain to 168.42 million tonnes, up 10 million from April and above a range of estimates.
The government projected 2014-15 world corn ending stocks at 181.73 million tonnes, the most since 1999-2000.
“The world carry-out was a killer. Those are big world numbers,” said Dan Cekander, an analyst with Newedge USA.
The corn market rallied briefly in volatile moves shortly after the USDA data was released, supported by the government lowering its U.S. 2013-14 corn ending stocks forecast to 1.146 billion bushels, below a range of trade estimates.
But “the global ending stocks are trumping the tight U.S. ending stocks,” said Mike Zuzolo, president of Global Commodity Analytics & Consulting.
Improving weather for planting in the U.S. Midwest also added pressure. Some traders expect that the USDA might report planting progress at around 60 percent in its next weekly progress report on Monday, up from 29 percent as of May 4.
“I am looking at weather maps for next two weeks, and there is just better weather for this northern Corn Belt,” Cekander said.
SOYBEANS UP, LED BY NEARBYS
Soybeans advanced, led by nearby months, after the USDA lowered its forecast of 2013/14 U.S. soy ending stocks to 130 million bushels, below an average of analyst estimates for 134 million.
“You have old-crop supplies that are razor tight on soybeans. We were relying on the new-crop numbers to carry us through, but we have to make sure that we get a crop,” said Don Roose, president of U.S. Commodities in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Benchmark July soybeans gained 1 percent for the week.
Gains were limited in back months after the USDA forecast that U.S. soy ending stocks would surge to 330 million bushels at the end of 2014/15. CBOT new-crop November soybeans settled up 2-1/4 cents at $12.26-1/4 a bushel.
WHEAT SETS BACK
CBOT wheat futures fell as investors took profits after USDA’s monthly report offered no major surprises.
Most-active CBOT July wheat sagged for a third straight session after reaching its highest level since June 2013 on Tuesday. Front-month wheat set back from its highest level in more than a year on continuous charts.
Yet for the week, July wheat gained 6-1/2 cents, or 0.9 percent, buoyed by searing heat this week that stressed crops in the U.S. Plains hard red winter wheat belt.
In its first estimates of the 2014 harvest, the USDA pegged U.S. winter wheat production at 1.403 billion bushels and the hard red winter wheat crop at 746 million bushels, roughly in line with trade expectations.
Traders continue to monitor developments in Ukraine, a key shipper of wheat and corn, where pro-Moscow rebels plan a referendum on Sunday.
Prices at 1513 CDT (2013 GMT):
LAST NET PCT YTD
CHG CHG PCT CHG
CBOT corn 507.50 -9.00 -1.7 20.3
CBOT soy 1487.00 17.50 1.2 13.3
CBOT meal 487.30 6.60 1.4 11.3
CBOT soyoil 41.18 0.06 0.2 6.1
CBOT wheat 722.50 -12.75 -1.7 19.4
CBOT rice 1543.00 -7.00 -0.5 -0.5
EU wheat 207.75 -0.25 -0.1 -0.6
US crude 100.12 -0.15 -0.1 1.7
Dow Jones 16,583 32 0.2 0.0
Gold 1,288.84 -0.16 0.0 6.9
Euro/dollar 1.3758 -0.0082 -0.6 0.8
Dollar Index 79.8650 0.5040 0.6 -0.2
Baltic Freight 997 -11 -1.1 -56.2
(Additional reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris and Naveen
Thukral in Singapore; Editing by William Hardy, Andrew Hay and
Andre Grenon)
