Don't pop the champagne just yet -- U.S. grain and livestock futures have one more day of trading Friday and will close at normal times. There are no official reports on the docket and USDA offices will be closed. With few players minding the markets and trading volume apt to be low, be careful of pre-holiday manipulation. Grain futures resume trading Sunday evening at 7 p.m. CST.
Weather
A system in the Southwest will start to move into Texas Friday night. Ahead of it, cold arctic air is flowing south through the Plains and showers will develop later in the day along and south of a front from Texas through the Ohio Valley. Freezing rain and moderate to heavy snow will develop across the Central Plains tonight and the whole system will spread eastward through the weekend. Meanwhile, cold arctic air will flow in behind the system with dangerous wind chills. Some precipitation will get into the southwestern Plains where it is desperately needed, but amounts are going to be on the lighter side and unable to move the needle on the ongoing drought.