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.
Corn, soybean, and wheat futures all closed lower on 23 September 2026, pressured by weak ethanol output, lower EU and UK crop forecasts from Coceral, ongoing Black Sea military strikes, and shifting South American production outlooks, according to an ADM Investor Services market commentary.
Spanish plant-based protein producer Elian has received a €40 million (US$45.66 million) minority equity investment from Spain's COFIDES to expand its integrated soybean processing facility at the Port of Barcelona, which is expected to add more than 100,000 tonnes of annual protein ingredient capacity for animal feed and food by early 2028.
Grain and oilseed futures closed mostly lower on 22 September 2026, according to ADM Investor Services analyst Mark Soderberg. Corn drifted back toward session lows while managed money extended a long position that ADMIS described as a potential record high. Soybeans finished mixed, soybean meal protein value reached a seven-month high, and wheat futures fell sharply amid ongoing Black Sea conflict and softening global supply signals.
Corn futures pulled back toward technical support on September 23, 2026, erasing Monday's gains, while a USDA daily export sale to Mexico, a high-stakes Xi-Trump summit in Washington, a proposed U.S. diesel export ban, and a projected 70% surge in global biofuel output by 2030 combined to create a complex backdrop for feed-grain and oilseed markets.
Malaysian palm oil futures fell for a fourth consecutive session on 23 September 2026, with the December Bursa Malaysia contract dropping to MYR 4,768/tonne, as rising inventories, sluggish exports and soft rival markets reinforced a bearish near-term outlook.
A multi-institution US study published in Aquaculture finds that adding 5% dried fish solubles to high-soybean meal diets significantly improved growth and selected fillet-quality traits in rainbow trout, with the effect driven primarily by increased voluntary feed intake rather than improved feed conversion.
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 675 introduces mandatory producer-register verification for rapeseed exporters from 1 July 2026 and soybean exporters from 1 September 2026, replacing chamber-of-commerce certificates as the basis for export-duty exemptions. The change raises working-capital and administrative costs for traders and is already contributing to a modest convergence of Ukrainian rapeseed prices toward EU benchmarks.
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.
Combined soybean meal exports from Argentina, Brazil and the United States reached a record 73 million tonnes in 2025/26, reinforcing ample feed-ingredient availability and limiting price rallies across the soybean complex, according to CMB News.
Argentina's 2026/27 wheat output is forecast to fall sharply from the previous season's record, while war-related disruptions continue to constrain Black Sea exports. Together, the two developments are tightening global high-quality wheat availability and pushing Chicago futures to a multi-year high, raising import costs for buyers in North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Chicago December wheat futures settled lower on September 21, 2026, but a combination of solid US export sales and persistent Black Sea supply disruption risks is preventing a deeper price correction, according to CMB News.
