Market set to open lower on Friday

Attention: Following the Thanksgiving holiday the markets will open at 8:30 CST but close early at 12 CST.

Export sales for wheat were reported within analyst expectations booking 431,500 metric tons which was up 19% week over week. Corn sales beat analyst expectations recording 944,900 metric tons of sales, up 4 percent from last week. Soybeans also beat analyst expectations with net sales of 1,485,400 metric tons which was well above the analyst expectations of between 700,000-1,000,000 metric tons. Soybean sales were up sharply from the previous week which only booked 483,020 metric tons and provides a strong case for steadfast short-term demand.

SovEcon said in some materials prepared for a conference that Russia’s grain crop may fall to 86 million metric tons in 2015 compared to 104 MT produced this year. Dryness has taken its toll on the wheat crop since it was seeded in late August. The dry conditions are forecast to continue into the first part of December.

The European benchmark for oil, Brent Crude, has fallen $6 per barrel to below $72 following the OPEC meeting which decided to keep oil output steady despite the falling prices. The decisions to keep output the same was largely a result of Saudi Arabia which is trying to keep its share of the energy market. Lower prices will force higher priced energy producers to lose share of the market if they are unable to withstand the lower prices in the near term.

—Cody Bills