Corn and wheat prices fell on Thursday, pressured by a strong dollar, plunging equities markets and fears that a setback in the global economy will lower demand for agricultural commodities. Soyabean prices rose for the first time after three sessions of declines as an early drop below its 100-day moving average kindled buying by bargain hunters and end users.
The US Agriculture Department's monthly crop report released early Thursday lacked bullish news. It predicted bigger-than-expected wheat stocks and a growing soyabean crop from Brazil, and failed to reverse this week's downward trend for corn and wheat prices.
Wheat futures at the Chicago Board of Trade dropped to their lowest level since early December shortly after the open, while soyabeans and corn hit two-week lows. At 11:12 am CST (1712 GMT), May wheat was down 15-3/4 cents at $7.43 a bushel. Wheat, which has fallen about 11 percent this week, threatened its 200-day moving average early in the trading day. May corn was down 5-1/2 cents at $6.95-1/2 a bushel, while May soyabeans were up 13-1/4 cents at $13.62-1/4 a bushel.