USDA's weekly export sales report is due out at 7:30 a.m. CDT Thursday, the same time as weekly U.S. jobless claims and an update of the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Conference Board's index of leading indicators for August is due out at 9 a.m. Traders continue to watch the latest weather forecasts and world events with special attention lately on the Fed and Wednesday's comments from Russia's President Putin.
Weather
A cold front continues to sag south into the southern reaches of the country Thursday but is starting to lose its strength. Still, cooler fall temperatures continue to filter a bit farther south than where they were Wednesday and the heat ahead of the front is being tamped down toward the Gulf Coast. A system in the West will move into the Plains later today and is already producing scattered showers for portions of the Northern and Central Plains, especially around the Nebraska-Kansas border.