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Wheat rallies as thunderstorms hit Plains, Midwest

June 24, 2014 00:00:00


SYDNEY, June 23 (Reuters) :  US wheat futures rose more than 1  on Monday, recouping most of previous session's losses, as heavy rains across the Midwest and Plains stoked concerns of potential quality downgrades and delays in harvesting.

Corn climbed to a 14-day high, extending gains into a fourth session, while soybeans rose 0.5  to hit a one-week high.

Chicago Board of Trade Front-month wheat rose 1.03  to $5.91-1/4 a bushel by 0320 GMT, rebounding from losses of 1.4  on Friday.

"There is a little bit of concern over quality due to rain," said Graydon Chong, senior grains analyst, Rabobank. "Rain can change the protein content so we think it is going to be very weather driven over the next few weeks."    

Severe thunderstorms hit the Plains and Midwest over the weekend causing some flooding, and the rains are expected to continue on Monday, the US National Weather Service said.

Egypt's state grain buyer said on Saturday it bought 180,000 tonnes of Russian and Romanian wheat for shipment Aug. 1-10.

 Spot corn rose 0.55  to $4.55-3/4 a bushel, after hitting an intraday peak of $4.56 - the highest since June 9. Corn closed up 0.61  on Friday.

Analysts said the wet weather could cause some damage to corn, but gains were capped by expectations that the moisture could benefit crop conditions, already seen at a 20-year high.

Front-month soybeans rose 0.6  to $14.23-3/4 a bushel, off the session high of $14.27-1/2 a bushel, the highest since June 16. Soybeans closed down 0.4  on Friday.

Analysts said old-crop soybeans were drawing support from uncertainty surrounding the size of the new-crop.


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