Corn and soybean prices rise on global exchanges

Global grain and oilseed markets showed mixed trends on August 17. On CBOT, September corn futures rose 1.31% to $183.08/t, while November soybean futures gained 1.97% to $446.80/t. Meanwhile, September SRW wheat remained unchanged at $247.92/t.

Corn prices were supported by strong U.S. exports and a slight deterioration in crop conditions. The U.S. shipped 1.91 mln tons of corn during the week, bringing marketing-year shipments to 80.95 mln tons, up 26% year-on-year. The share of the corn crop rated good to excellent declined by 1 percentage point to 60%.

Soybeans gained almost 2% despite rapid crop development in the U.S. As of August 16, 85% of soybean fields had set pods, 5 percentage points ahead of the five-year average. However, the share of the crop rated good to excellent declined to 61%. U.S. soybean exports since the start of the 2025/26 marketing year reached 40.04 mln tons, down 18.2% year-on-year.

Wheat markets lacked a clear direction. SRW wheat prices in Chicago were virtually unchanged, hard red winter wheat gained in Kansas City, while spring wheat declined in Minneapolis. U.S. wheat exports since the start of the season totaled 3.89 mln tons, down 19.3% from the same period last year.

On MATIF, September wheat fell 0.85% on August 17 to €225.25/t, while November corn rose 1.05% to €254.50/t. Slow EU exports continue to weigh on European wheat: since the start of the 2026/27 marketing year, the EU has exported 1.01 mln tons of soft wheat, down 57% from the same period last season.