USDA's weekly export sales report is out at 7:30 a.m. CST Thursday, the same time as weekly U.S. jobless claims, a report on fourth-quarter U.S. productivity and an update of the U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Energy Department's natural gas storage report is at 9:30 a.m. Traders remain interested in the latest weather reports, especially from South America and in any news of an export sale.
Weather
A stalled front continues to be active across the south with rounds of showers on Thursday. It is still cold enough for a mix of freezing rain, sleet, and some snow in these areas. Across the north, the last arctic cold blast is moving into the North-Central U.S. The cold will be intense but only for a day or so. The cold will slide over to the Northeast tonight and cold air over the Great Lakes will induce lake-effect snows. Those should be as brief as the cold air that moves through.