Thursday's reports start early with weekly export sales and U.S. jobless claims at 7:30 a.m. CDT. The U.S. Drought Monitor also comes out at 7:30, but is not getting the same attention in this wet year. The Conference Board's index of leading indicators is due out at 9 a.m. CDT, followed by natural gas inventories at 9:30 a.m. Weather remains important with soybeans still being planted and winter wheat harvest trying to make progress.
Weather
Thursday features light to moderate rain in the Northern Plains, eastern Midwest and Southeast. Other primary crop areas will be dry. Wet-weather pressure continues in the eastern Midwest. Southern Plains wheat harvest will have favorable conditions. Very high temperatures in Texas indicate the building of a pattern change over the next 10 days to a drier and warmer trend in the central U.S.