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Strengthening dollar adds pressure on US agricultural commodities

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Uncertainty about US economy prompts traders to exit positions

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Investors position ahead of March 31 prospective planting report

(Updates with US market close)

By Renee Hickman

CHICAGO, March 21 (Reuters) - Chicago corn and soy eased and wheat traded nearly flat on Friday as traders' concerns about the U.S. economic outlook inspired a selloff ahead of the weekend, according to analysts.

The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade settled up 1 cent to $5.58-1/4 per bushel.

Soybeans ended down 3-1/4 cents at 10.09-3/4 a bushel and corn slipped 4-3/4 cents to finish at $4.64-1/4 a bushel.

"There is so much uncertainty in the market right now over the economy," said Karl Setzer, a partner at Consus Ag Consulting.

"Futures traders are concerned that over the weekend you might see a news story come out and blow up their position, so they're just exiting everything ahead of it," he said.

Traders are also positioning ahead of March 31, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture will release its grain stocks and prospective planting reports. The data will include estimates for farmers' planting intentions in 2025.

Also being monitored are tariff tussles between the United States and its trading partners, and discussions to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

The U.S. dollar gained ground against the euro on Friday, putting it on pace for its first weekly gain this month, as investors booked profits from the currency's recent advance and as the April 2 deadline for reciprocal U.S. tariffs approached.

Strength in the dollar pressured U.S. grain futures, as a strong dollar tends to make U.S. exports more expensive and therefore less competitive on the global market.

The International Grains Council forecast a rise in global corn production in the 2025/26 season, with larger crops seen in the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Ukraine.

China's soybean imports from the United States jumped 84.1% in the first two months of 2025 compared with a year ago, but competitive pricing and a trade standoff with the U.S. are expected to boost purchases from Brazil in the months ahead. (Reporting by Renee Hickman in Chicago Additional reporting by Naveen Thukral in Singapore and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris Editing by Rod Nickel)