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, the U.S. trade deficit for March, first-quarter U.S. productivity and an update of the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Energy Department's weekly report on natural gas storage is at 9:30 a.m. Traders will keep watch over the latest news from Russia, weather happenings and any further news about U.S. bank problems.
Weather
A cold trough in the East is on its way out and is being replaced by a ridge and warmer temperatures east of the Rockies, though it is a slower process for those farther east. A trough in the Southwest continues to develop showers there and through the Plains on Thursday, with some risk of severe weather from Oklahoma through Texas this afternoon and evening. Those showers should grow into a cluster of heavier rain tonight that will expand north into eastern Kansas and then through the Ozarks overnight.