USDA's weekly export sales will be out at 7:30 a.m. CDT, the same time as weekly U.S. jobless claims, producer prices for April and an update of the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Energy Department's weekly report of natural gas storage follows at 9:30 a.m. Traders continue to watch the latest weather forecasts and check for either export sales announcements or cancellations at 8 a.m.
Weather
A weakening upper-level system is slowly moving into the Plains and already has produced areas of heavy rain and severe weather since Wednesday afternoon. More of the same will occur Thursday, though a bit farther east than Wednesday. Some of the driest areas of the country are finding some good rainfall, though rain is not coming to all places. Still, this is an excellent boost to soil moisture for a lot of areas.