At 7:30 a.m. CST Thursday, USDA's weekly export sales report, weekly U.S. jobless claims, a report of U.S. GDP for the fourth quarter and the latest U.S. Drought Monitor all are set for release. U.S. new home sales and a U.S. index of leading indicators are due out at 9 a.m., followed by natural gas inventory at 9:30 a.m. Traders continue to keep a close watch on the latest weather forecasts and any export news that develops.
Weather
Dry conditions are in store across the central U.S. Thursday. Precipitation will be confined to light snow in the Great Lakes. Temperatures will be seasonally cold in the Midwest and near to above normal in the Plains. A storm system in the western U.S. is indicated to bring rain and snow to the Midwest during the weekend.