DTN Midday Grain Comments     02/21 11:04

   Grains Mixed at Midday

   Corn is flat to 2 cents lower at midday, soybeans are flat to 2 cents 
higher, and wheat is mixed. 

By David Fiala
DTN Contributing Analyst

 General Comments

   

   

   The U.S. stock market is weaker with the Dow down 180. The dollar index is 
58 lower. Interest rate products are weaker. Energies are weaker with crude 
down $0.85. Livestock trade is weaker with cattle the downside leader. Precious 
metals are firmer with gold up $23.00.

   CORN

   Corn trade is 1 to 2 cents lower at midday with trade retreating after 
touching $3.80 for the 16th-straight session. Ethanol margins are little 
changed with ethanol futures remaining flat, with spring driving season and 
better blender margins getting closer. Corn basis remains steady to slightly 
softer, with little change in recent days but more open weather should help 
movement along with March basis contracts coming due. Weekly export sales 
remain strong at 1.25 million metric tons. On the March contract support is the 
lower Bollinger Band and the fresh lows at $3.75, then the $3.71 4-month low, 
with resistance at the $3.94 recent 2 1/2-month high with the 20-day just above 
the market at $3.82 which we remain just below.

   SOYBEANS 

   Soybean trade is flat to 2 cents higher with trade holding just below $9.00 
nearby, with spread trade remaining firm and early strength fading again. Meal 
is $2.00 to $3.00 lower, and oil is 35 to 45 points higher. South America 
continues to make good progress with weather and harvest moving forward with 
little change on the horizon with some rain delays in Brazil in recent days. 
The Brazilian ral remains very cheap as well hurting U.S. export 
competitiveness near term with new lows scored this week, with the dollar 
finally fading a bit this a.m. New-crop soybeans will need to gain vs. corn to 
provide an acreage incentive ahead of planting in the U.S. with little progress 
on that front this week so far. Weekly export sales were soft with 494,300 
metric tons of soybeans, 169,400 of meal, and 42,000 of oil with hints at a 
third MFP if trade gains don't materialize. The March soybean chart support is 
the 20-day moving average at $8.88, with resistance the upper Bollinger band at 
$9.05.

   WHEAT

   Wheat trade is mixed with trade giving back early gains with trade still 
looking to sustain buying after the early week surge. Weather threats for the 
plains remain limited near term domestically with limited short-term moisture 
across most of the plains and the east seeing the bulk of that, and most wheat 
still dormant with the cold snap. Kansas City is at an 86-cent discount to 
Chicago, regaining a dime the last few days while Minneapolis is back to a 28 
cent discount as well. World values remain mostly elevated with Chicago wheat 
expensive, and Kansas City wheat on the low end with Black Sea and European 
origin still the better deals for Middle East tenders, and Australia mostly out 
of the market at the moment. Weekly export sales were softer at 364,300 metric 
tons of old crop, and 60,100 of new. The March Kansas City chart support the 
20-day at $4.74 which we are testing, and resistance the upper Bollinger Band 
at $4.87. 

   David Fiala is a DTN contributing analyst and the President of FuturesOne 
and a registered adviser. 
He can be reached at dfiala@futuresone.com 
Follow him on Twitter @davidfiala


(AG)

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