Wheat firms, set for biggest weekly rise in 3 months on European supply worries
Wheat, corn, soybeans supported by short-covering
EU strongly cuts 2024/25 wheat crop, export estimates
Soybeans up 1%, above $10/bushel for first time in 3 weeks
Recasts, adds comment in paragraph 3, and updates prices
By Naveen Thukral
SINGAPORE, Aug 30 (Reuters) -Chicago wheat edged higher on Friday, with the market poised for its biggest weekly gain in more than three months on short-covering and concerns over lower production in Europe.
Soybeans rose 1% to a three-week high and corn inched higher, with both markets on track to end the week on a positive note.
"The wheat market is close to the bottom and there is room for prices to move higher," said one trader in Singapore. "There are ample supplies from the Black Sea region for now but the outlook for global supplies is tightening."
The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) Wv1 was up 0.1% at $5.49 a bushel, as of 0307 GMT, and corn Cv1 was up 0.2% at $3.96-3/4 a bushel.
Soybeans Sv1 added 1.1% to $10.03-1/2 a bushel, climbing to their highest levels since Aug. 9.
The wheat market, which has gained almost 4% this week, is poised for its biggest weekly gain since mid-May. Soybeans are up 3.1% this week, their biggest weekly rise in four months and corn has gained 1.5% this week, its first weekly rise in five.
Short-covering is providing support to wheat, corn and soybean futures after agricultural markets suffered deep losses earlier this month.
For August, soybeans have lost around 2% and corn down 0.7%, with both products in negative territory for a third straight month.
The European Commission on Thursday cut its estimate for usable production of common wheat in the European Union in 2024/25 to 116.1 million metric tons from 120.8 million forecast a month earlier, still a four-year low.
Ukraine's combined grain and oilseed crop is likely to fall by 15% in 2024 due to unfavourable weather, acting farm minister Taras Vysotskiy said on Thursday, given no exact forecast.
U.S. corn and soybean export sales for the week ended Aug. 22 came in above analyst expectations for 2024/25 sales, indicating that low prices may have renewed demand, traders said.
Market players have raised concerns that recent hot, dry weather in the Midwest will dent expectations of bumper U.S. corn and soy crops. However, rainfall and forecasts for milder weather have allayed concerns, traders said.
Commodity funds were net buyers of CBOT soybean, soyoil, corn, wheat and soymeal futures contracts on Thursday, traders said. COMFUND/CBT
Reporting by Naveen Thukral; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips
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