Soybean futures edged higher on both the Chicago Board of Trade and China's Dalian Commodity Exchange on 30 September 2026, while physical premiums moved in opposite directions across origins. Ukrainian GMO-free and Chinese yellow soybeans strengthened, whereas U.S. No. 2 and conventional Ukrainian FOB values eased. Weather uncertainty in Brazil and Argentina for early October continues to underpin a mild risk premium in new-crop prices.
USDA's latest quarterly grain stocks report shows US corn inventories rose 35% year-on-year to 2.10 billion bushels as of 1 September 2026, driving the December CBOT contract to a six-week low near 499 US cents per bushel. EU and Black Sea physical prices remain broadly stable amid ample global supply, with Brazil still shipping large export volumes and China projecting a strong 2026 harvest.
Soybean futures and products on the Chicago Board of Trade are undergoing modest profit-taking after a strong late-summer rally, with US September 1 inventories running about 3% below last year and Chinese demand continuing to underpin prices across the complex.
Wheat prices in the Rhine region are moving largely sideways heading into Q4 2026 and early 2027, with bread wheat quoted at 240 EUR/t for October–December and only a modest 4–5 EUR/t carry into Q1 2027. Corn and rapeseed are sending stronger price signals, with EU corn commanding a clear premium over feed wheat and rapeseed posting the steepest forward curve in the complex, drawing feed-sector attention away from wheat.
China's 2026/27 soybean output is projected at roughly 20.95 million tons, marginally above last year, but the market is increasingly split between high-protein, food-grade beans commanding firm premiums and ordinary, lower-protein supplies facing harvest-period price pressure. Wet and cool weather in key northeastern provinces around late September is complicating fieldwork and drying logistics, adding quality and timing risk to an otherwise stable volume outlook.
CBOT soybean futures eased modestly on 23 September 2026, with soybean oil leading declines and meal outperforming, as traders consolidated recent gains ahead of a key U.S.–China diplomatic summit. Ukrainian FOB prices slipped while basis held firm on below-average yields and Black Sea risk. China's August soybean imports remained historically large but showed a 12% year-on-year drop from the U.S., highlighting continued origin diversification. Early South American planting began under a wetter pattern, introducing mild bearish signals for new-crop supply.
A series of typhoons in the Philippines has reduced July–September 2026 corn production by an estimated 14.4%, tightening regional feed grain availability and pushing up input cost risk for Southeast Asian feed manufacturers. CBOT December 2026 corn futures are trading around 529 USc/bu, while buyers consider alternative grains including millet.
Italy's soft wheat flour exports rose nearly 15% year on year in the first half of 2026, with the United States becoming the largest buyer after a 38% surge in imports, even as Black Sea wheat prices remain subdued and global grain benchmarks stay under pressure.
Tunisia's state grains agency has purchased around 125,000 tonnes of soft wheat at $311.72–314.23/tonne C&F for October–December shipment, setting a clear pricing floor for Mediterranean destinations and limiting near-term downside for Black Sea and EU export origins.
Chicago corn futures rose on 21 September 2026, driven by trader positioning ahead of US–China talks that could unlock new Chinese grain purchases and by persistent Black Sea supply uncertainties. Gains were broad-based but moderate, with the market still awaiting concrete outcomes from the summit.
Pakistan's Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) has tendered for 750,000 tonnes of 2026-crop milling wheat on CFR Karachi/Gwadar terms at around USD 320–325 per tonne, but the high landed cost of imports — compounded by freight, port charges, and currency weakness — is expected to support rather than ease domestic wheat prices. Global benchmark prices from Ukraine, the EU, and the US have softened modestly in September, but analysts note Pakistan's firmness is driven by internal cost and currency dynamics rather than global supply tightness.
International corn markets are navigating a tug-of-war between a projected record 66 million tonne Argentine maize harvest for 2026/27 and near-term European Union supply tightness driven by Ukrainian logistics bottlenecks. CBOT futures softened on profit-taking ahead of a U.S.–China summit, while Euronext corn held firm on constrained Black Sea inflows and elevated EU import demand.
