US corn futures rose to a six-month peak on Thursday, adding to strong gains earlier in the week as adverse weather in parts of the US Midwest and Western Europe threatened crops. Prices for soyabeans and wheat were mixed as investors squared positions ahead of the US Independence Day holiday weekend that begins on Friday, when US markets are closed.
Concern that wet weather would curb corn and soyabean production prospects kept a floor under prices, which got a boost this week from US Department of Agriculture data on Tuesday that showed lower-than-expected stocks of the crops. More rain is expected in the coming days in parts of the southern and eastern Corn Belt, forecasters said. "The latest forecasts shifted the rain to the wettest areas of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio and that is putting some premium back into the market for corn and soyabeans," said Brian Hoops, president of Midwest Market Solutions.
Hot, dry weather in grain production regions in Europe added further support, he said. Analytics firm Informa Economics cut its US corn production forecast on Thursday to 13.412 billion bushels, down from 13.564 billion previously, and trimmed average yields by 1 bushel per acre to 165.4 bpa, trade sources said. Informa also trimmed its US soya crop forecast slightly. Chicago Board of Trade September corn rose 6 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $4.28-1/2 a bushel, the contract's highest point this year. The contract was up 9.2 percent this week after gaining 9.4 percent last week, the strongest two-week corn rally in three years.
CBOT August soyabeans declined 2-1/2 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $10.38-1/4 a bushel, but the contract ended the week up 4.1 percent for a third straight weekly gain. Wheat prices were anchored by ample world stocks and weak demand for US supplies. Egypt's government wheat buyer, GASC, purchased 60,000 tonnes of Romanian wheat via a tender. No US grain was offered amid uncompetitively high prices. September soft red winter wheat settled 2 cents higher at $5.90-1/2 a bushel for a 0.3 percent gain on the day and up 4 percent for the week. Commodity funds bought an estimated net 11,000 corn contracts on Thursday but were net even in soyabeans and wheat, trade sources said.