Market Close
Corn futures eased lower into the weekend, closing Friday with contracts steady to 5 cents lower led by the nearbys. Front month May was down 3 ½ cents this week. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price was down 5 cents to $4.19 1/2.
Jul 26 Corn closed at $4.73 1/2, down 4 1/2 cents, Dec 26 Corn closed at $4.90 1/4, down 4 1/4 cents,
Export and Positioning Data
Export Sales data from Thursday tallied old crop corn commitments at 68.875 MMT, a 30% improvement from last year. That is now 82% of the USDA export projection and is behind the average pace of 86%.
Commitment of Traders data showed a total of 55,744 contracts added to the managed money net long position in corn futures and options as of March 24. That took the total to 284,548 contracts. Commercials added 45,429 contracts to their net short position to 567,545 contracts.
Upcoming USDA Expectations
Ahead of the USDA March Intentions report next week, traders are looking for 94.37 million acres of corn to be reported by NASS. That would be a 4.4 million decline from last year if realized. Grain Stocks data is expected to be tallied at 9.104 billion bushels for March 1, which would be up 957 million bushels from a year ago if realized.
Context
The corn market remains sensitive to supply and demand signals as the planting season approaches. Export performance relative to USDA projections often dictates short-term price direction, while trader positioning indicates sentiment ahead of major government reports like the Prospective Plantings report.
Takeaway
Corn prices softened on Friday despite strong export growth YoY, as traders await critical USDA acreage and stock data that could signal tighter supply conditions for the upcoming season.
*On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com*
Original source
Corn Fades Lower into the Weekend
Published: Mar 27, 2026
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