US rough rice futures on the Chicago Board of Trade ended firm Thursday on a mild bounce after hitting an eight-month low this week, supported by the rise in corn, wheat and soybeans, traders said. November rice ended 8 cents up at $14.70-1/2; January closed 7-1/2 higher at $14.98-1/2.
Volume was light estimated at 957 futures and 72 options. A weaker dollar helped lift futures as it makes dollar-denominated commodities more competitive in world markets. USDA reported last week's US rice export sales at 40,800 tonnes, down 36 percent from week before. Vietnam rice exports will drop 6.7 percent from year earlier to 4.09 million tones for January-October period as demand slows -government.