# Nearby Corn Futures Firm as USDA Reports Big Sales to China - AgWeb

> U.S. corn futures edged higher on March 16 after USDA confirmed sales of 1.156 million tonnes of corn to China, the largest since January. The sales followed one of the strongest weeks of corn export inspections on record. Soybeans and wheat were mixed, with South American weather also in focus.

- Date: 2021-03-17 · published 2021-03-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: trade · region US · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/5125-nearby-corn-futures-firm-as-usda-reports-big-sales-to-china-agweb
- Commodities: [Corn](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CORN.md), [Soybeans](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SOY.md)

## Why it matters

Confirmed Chinese purchases and strong export inspections tighten U.S. corn supplies, supporting nearby prices and export demand.

## Read by commodity

- SOY: neutral
- CORN: bullish ▲

## Linked price moves

| Commodity | Date | Window | Change % | z-score | Why linked |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2021-03-26 | 5 | +10.7% | 3.3 | USDA confirmed 1.156 mt sale to China, the largest since January, lifting corn futures and starting the rally. |
| CORN | 2021-03-22 | 1 | +11.9% | 6.1 | USDA-confirmed 1.156 MMT of corn sales to China, the largest since January, boosted export demand and drove the preceding rally that set up the volatile move. |

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CORN | 2025-12-03 | [US corn futures rise on strong export sales](https://feedsoft.ai/events/21540-us-corn-futures-rise-on-strong-export-sales.md) | +0.7% | -0.4% |
| CORN | 2021-02-24 | [U.S. Corn Exports To China Boom - 2020 Year in Review](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48473-u-s-corn-exports-to-china-boom-2020-year-in-review.md) | +0.7% | +5.4% |
| CORN | 2022-02-01 | [Export Sales to China and Mexico \| USDA Foreign Agricultural Service](https://feedsoft.ai/events/42668-export-sales-to-china-and-mexico-usda-foreign-agricultural-service.md) | +1.8% | +11.1% |
| CORN | 2022-10-13 | [USDA exports –China, unknown buys soybeans - Big River Resources](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14898-usda-exports-china-unknown-buys-soybeans-big-river-resources.md) | +1.6% | -1.2% |
| CORN | 2018-06-05 | [China reportedly offered to buy nearly $70 billion of US agriculture, energy products](https://feedsoft.ai/events/64397-china-reportedly-offered-to-buy-nearly-70-billion-of-us-agriculture-energy.md) | -3.0% | -8.0% |
| SOY | 2023-02-08 | [U.S. agriculture exports top $200 billion in 2022 as China grabs record share](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14862-u-s-agriculture-exports-top-200-billion-in-2022-as-china-grabs-record-share.md) | +1.5% | +0.8% |
| SOY | 2025-08-26 | [China's top trade negotiator to head to US for talks: Reports - The Economic Times](https://feedsoft.ai/events/14644-china-s-top-trade-negotiator-to-head-to-us-for-talks-reports-the-economic-times.md) | +0.0% | -1.3% |
| SOY | 2021-02-02 | [Column: Record new-crop U.S. soybean sales fly under radar versus China’s corn haul](https://feedsoft.ai/events/48470-column-record-new-crop-u-s-soybean-sales-fly-under-radar-versus-china-s-corn.md) | +1.6% | +3.6% |

## Sources

- agweb.com: https://www.agweb.com/markets/grain-markets/nearby-corn-futures-firm-usda-reports-big-sales-china

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.