U.S. corn futures ended the day and week in the red, as traders digested USDA export sales data, market volatility, and global demand signals. After two consecutive weeks of gains, December corn futures closed down 1¾¢ at $4.18 per bushel, a 2¼¢ drop week-over-week.

November soybeans fell 6¢ on the day to close at $10.27 per bushel, capping a 27½¢ weekly decline. This marks the second straight week of lower closes for soybeans, reflecting cautious sentiment around demand outlook and export sales.

Wheat markets continued to slide, with December CBOT wheat closing down less than a penny at $5.19¼, December Kansas City wheat down a penny at $5.05¼, and December Minneapolis wheat losing 4¼¢ to $5.66. All three contracts posted weekly losses, and KC wheat marked its seventh straight week of declines.

October livestock contracts were mixed, reflecting varied supply and demand fundamentals:

• Live cattle dropped 98¢ to $235.98 per hundredweight (cwt).

• Feeder cattle lost $1.05 to $357.90 per cwt.

• Lean hogs rose $1.00 to $96.03 per cwt.

Earlier in the day, grains showed strength. At 9:09 a.m. CT, December corn had gained 2½¢ to $4.22¼, while November soybeans were up 1¼¢ at $10.34¼. Wheat saw modest gains or held steady.

Markets reacted to the USDA's latest U.S. Export Sales report, which showed:

• Corn export sales for the 2025/2026 marketing year came in at 2.117 million metric tons (mmt), at the high end of trade expectations (900,000 to 2.2 mmt), though partially offset by reductions of 280,900 metric tons for the previous marketing year.

• Soybean export sales totaled 818,500 metric tons, in line with estimates (600,000 to 1.6 mmt), with a 23,800 metric ton cut to old crop sales.

• Wheat export sales fell to 313,000 metric tons, down nearly 50% from last week and below the expected range of 350,000-700,000 metric tons.

USDA also reported two new soybean sales to unknown destinations:

• 123,000 metric tons

• 204,650 metric tons
  Both for the 2025/2026 marketing year, reflecting continued international interest despite market softness.

October crude oil prices fell $1.50 to $61.98 per barrel, while the U.S. Dollar Index dipped to 97.49, potentially signaling further volatility for commodities.

In broader financial markets, the S&P 500 was up 5.51 points, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 50.06 points as of mid-morning.

As traders close the books on this shortened trading week, attention turns to next week's USDA WASDE report, global weather patterns, and ongoing export developments-factors that will shape short-term momentum across the grain and livestock complex.