Corn Market Holding Steady Amid Hybrid Trading Patterns Tuesday

ZkProofPudding · 2025-12-31T14:13:30+00:00

Tuesday's corn trading showed stability after a decline on Monday, with open interest indicating renewed selling. Export activity remains robust despite holiday disruptions, led by Mexico. Cash corn benchmarks fell, while ethanol production metrics showed a slight decline.

ZkProofPudding

2025-12-31 14:13:30

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Tuesday’s corn trading session exhibited measured momentum, with futures hovering near unchanged levels—a marked shift from Monday’s decline. The previous session saw contracts slide 7 to 8 cents lower, despite supportive conditions during the thin-volume holiday period. Open interest data reveals 11,894 new contracts entered the market on the selloff, suggesting renewed selling momentum at lower price tiers.

Export Surge Leads Broader Market Story

Corn shipment activity painted a more optimistic picture during the week ending Christmas. Total exports reached 1.301 million metric tons (51.2 million bushels)—down 25.53% sequentially due to seasonal holiday disruptions, yet substantially ahead of year-ago levels by 43.37%. Mexico emerged as the primary buyer with 400,140 MT, trailed by Colombia at 221,240 MT and Japan accounting for 219,137 MT.

The broader marketing year narrative remains hypercharged. Year-to-date corn shipments have accumulated 25.57 million metric tons (1.006 billion bushels), representing a 66.17% year-over-year acceleration. This milestone marks the first instance in record-keeping history where exports surpassed 1 billion bushels before the calendar year concluded.

Cash Values and Downstream Demand Indicators

The CmdtyView national cash corn benchmark settled at $3.99¾, marking a 6¾-cent retreat from prior levels. Meanwhile, ethanol production metrics showed softer dynamics, with output declining by 36,000 barrels to reach 1.095 million barrels daily in the week through December 19th. Ethanol inventories expanded by 175,000 barrels to 22.528 million barrels, while export flows climbed 28,000 bpd to 219,000 bpd. Refiner inputs of ethanol ticked higher by 6,000 bpd to 912,000 bpd.

Contract Settlement Summary

March 26 corn futures closed at $4.42¼, down 7¾ cents with modest recovery gains of ½ cent. May 26 contracts settled at $4.50¾, posting a 7½-cent loss and holding unchanged currently. July 26 futures closed at $4.57, off 7¼ cents with no material change in current trading.

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