Soyoil around 18-month highs, grains fall on good crop weather
Crude oil fell after renewed military strikes by Israel and Iran over the weekend left oil production and export facilities unaffected, easing concern about disruption of crude supplies. That removed some of the support for soybean prices, which tend to move in tandem with oil, that was seen on Friday.
The larger-than-expected biofuel blend proposals, however, still supported the soy complex.
The Chicago Board of Trade's most-active soyoil rose 5.7% to 53.50 cents per pound at 1131 GMT, around its highest since December 2023. Soyoil gains also pulled soybeans up 0.1% at $10.71-3/4 per bushel.
Wheat fell 1.2% to $5.37-1/4 a bushel as the U.S. winter wheat harvest accelerates. Corn fell 1.1% to $4.39-1/2 a bushel, weakened by favourable weather forecasts for crop development in the U.S. corn belt.
'Soybeans and soyoil are being underpinned by the Trump administration's larger-than-expected biofuel blending proposals which would generate more demand for soyoil and so soybeans," said Matt Ammermann, StoneX commodity risk manager.
"The Trump Administration is not known to be renewable energy-friendly, but the substantial increase could be intended to reduce the sting of the trade war with China, which has hugely damaged U.S. soy exports to China.'
Traders await weekly crop ratings on Monday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with U.S. winter wheat harvesting accelerating, corn and soybean planting is finishing.
'Wheat and corn are weaker today as crop weather in the U.S. is looking very positive this week, with just the right mix of sunshine needed for the winter wheat harvest with a little rain needed for corn development,' said Ammermann.
'Other north hemisphere wheat crops are also looking good, especially in the Black Sea. This raises the prospects of extra competition from the Black Sea to exporters in the U.S. and other regions.'
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