Soyabean futures at the Chicago Board of Trade were firm early Friday on continued technical buying, with support stemming from an active export pace and outlooks for a sharp drawdown in supplies, traders said.
The US Senate's passage late Thursday of an energy bill to boost biofuel production five-fold to 36 billion gallons by 2022 was another sign of the demand for agricultural products. But a firming dollar, smaller-than-expected monthly crush data from an industry group and surprisingly heavy rains in Argentina in the past day were bearish signals.
The mix of bullish and bearish inputs early kept prices choppy and range-bound. Additionally, traders were awaiting the mid-morning release of research firm Informa Economics 2008 planting estimates, traders said. January soyabeans were up 2-3/4 cents at $11.48-3/4 a bushel by 10:15 am CDT (1615 GMT).
December soyameal was up $1.80 at $323; December soyaoil was down 0.16 cent at 45.84 cents. The December contracts will expire at midday. Soyabean oil was pressured by the weakness in the crude oil market along with the National Oilseed Processors Association report showing soyaoil stocks grew during November despite a slower crush pace.