With U.S. futures markets closed Christmas eve, Thursday is the final day of the trading week and starts with USDA's weekly export sales report at 7:30 a.m. CST, the same time as U.S. jobless claims, U.S. personal incomes, durable goods orders for November and an update of the U.S. Drought Monitor. U.S. new home sales for November and the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for December are both set for 9 a.m. USDA's quarterly hogs and pigs report and December 1 cattle on-feed estimates are both due out at 2 p.m. CST. U.S. grain futures close at normal times Thursday and resume trading at 7 p.m. CST Sunday, December 26.
Weather
A large system is brewing in the western states Thursday. A piece of it will move through the Canadian Prairies and there are a few showers moving through the northern Midwest, but dry and warm conditions are expected for most areas east of the Rockies.