Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures fell for the second straight day on Wednesday on pressure from light export demand and some easing concerns about weather damage to the developing US crop, traders said. Corn futures eased on some mild technical sales while soyabeans closed in positive territory, turning higher late in the trading day after the dollar weakened.
Wheat's 1.3 percent decline was the biggest daily percentage drop for the grain in two weeks. Egypt, the world's top buyer of wheat, said it bought 240,000 tonnes in a tender from France, Romania and Ukraine.
US exporters did not even bother to offer any supplies in the deal as they were too far out of the market.
"They are not willing to put in any premium into the market as long as we keep missing these tenders," said Mike Zuzolo of Global Commodity Analytics.
CBOT May soft red winter wheat dropped 6-1/2 cents to close at $4.70-3/4 a bushel.
Temperatures are forecast to drop below freezing late this week in much of the southern Plains, but not low enough to cause significant damage, meteorologists said.
CBOT May corn settled 1/4 cent lower at $3.68-1/4 a bushel while CBOT May soyabeans rose 2-1/2 cents to $8.94-1/2 a bushel.
Soyabeans had traded in negative territory for much of the day but turned higher after the US dollar retreated into negative territory.
The dollar drop stemmed from a US Federal Reserve statement that said moderate economic growth and job gains would allow it to resume tightening monetary policy this year. A weak dollar makes US soyabeans relatively less expensive to overseas buyers.
But the expanding soyabean harvest in Brazil limited the gains made by the futures market.
"Dry weather conditions are currently allowing harvesting of the soyabean crop in Brazil - which is expected to be record-high - to make rapid progress," Commerzbank said in a market note.
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