Corn futures posted gains of 2 to 4 ½ cents on Wednesday. Demand continues to be solid, with record ethanol and exports. The CmdtyView national average Cash Corn price as up 4 cents to $3.96 3/4. 

USDA reported a private export sale of 177,055 MT of corn to Mexico this morning.

EIA data from this morning showed another record ethanol corn grind for the week ending on December 12, up 26,000 barrels per day week/week to 1.131 million bpd. Despite the increased output, stocks saw a draw of 157,000 barrels to 22.353 million barrels. That came as ethanol exports were up 66,000 bpd to 191,000 bpd, with refiner inputs of ethanol rising 55,000 barrels per day from the week prior to 906,000 bpd.

Commitment of Traders data, now as of December 2, showed spec funds adding back 34,142 contracts to the long side in that week, mainly on short covering. That flipped their net position to long in corn futures and options to 23,270 contracts as of that date

A South Korean importer purchased a total of 268,000 MT of corn in a tender overnight. Brazil’s December corn exports are estimated to total 6.35 MMT according to ANEC, a 0.05 MMT increase from the week prior.

Mar 26 Corn  closed at $4.40 1/2, up 4 cents,

Nearby Cash  was $3.96 3/4, up 4 cents,

May 26 Corn  closed at $4.47 3/4, up 3 1/4 cents,

Jul 26 Corn  closed at $4.53 1/2, up 2 1/2 cents,

More news from Barchart

• Grain, Cotton Futures Markets Look Heavy. What Could Give Them a Lift This Week?
• Corn: Is the Tepid Rally Bearish?
• How Much Higher Can Corn Prices Go?
• Have Corn, Soybeans, and Winter Wheat Already Topped? What to Watch in the Week Ahead.