3 Big Things Today, Nov. 18, 2025
- Media Logic Radio
- Nov 18
- 3 min read
Commodity values firm up and soybeans and corn inspections increase.
By David Geiger Published on November 18, 2025
1. Commodities Values Firm on Vessel Bookings
At 6:30 a.m. CT, December corn was up 1½¢ at $4.36¼ per bushel.
January soybeans were up 3¢ at $11.60¼ per bushel. January soy meal was down $2.50 to $330.10 a short ton, and January soy oil increased 0.69¢ to 52.17¢ a pound.
March wheat markets were stronger in the early morning. CBOT wheat was up 2¾¢ at $5.61¼ per bushel. KC wheat jumped 3¢ at $5.47¾ per bushel. Minneapolis wheat rose 10¢ at $5.69¾ per bushel.
“After spending time in negative territory overnight, commodity values firmed as the session progressed,” said Karl Setzer, partner with Consus Ag Consulting. “Demand is the key word in trade right now following [Monday’s] rumor that China had booked U.S. soybeans during the session.”
Setzer added those rumors gave the market support. “Basis remains firm as buyers want to build reserves ahead of the upcoming U.S. holiday season. If the market continues to rally, this selling will stop as quick as it started.”
2. Corn and Soybeans See Increased Inspections
Inspections of soybeans and corn for overseas delivery increased week to week while wheat assessments declined, according to USDA data.
Soybean inspections rose to 1,176,307 metric tons in the week that ended on November 13, the agency said.
That’s up slightly from 1,124,668 tons the previous week but well below the 2,267,076 tons seen during the same week a year earlier.
Examinations of corn for offshore delivery jumped to 2,053,932 metric tons from 1,484,614 tons the week prior. For the week, inspections were higher than the 873,661 tons reported by Nov. 14, 2024.
Wheat assessments fell to 246,533 metric tons from 291,443 tons the previous week. However, inspections were still about 25% higher than the 197,138 tons reported the same week last year, USDA said.
In total, grain inspections from all grain sources totaled 3,560,396 metric tons, up from 2,933,950 week-over-week, and just above the 3,400,497 metric tons from this time last year.
Since the start of the marketing year for soybeans on September 1, the government has inspected 10.1 million metric tons for offshore delivery, down from 17.6 million tons examined during the same timeframe a year earlier.
Corn assessments since the beginning of September now stand at 15.84 million metric tons, compared with 9.16 million tons inspected during the same period last year.
Wheat inspections since the start of the grain’s marketing year on June 1 were reported at 12.36 million metric tons, up from 10.36 million tons at this point a year ago, USDA said in its report.
3. Light Snow Developing in the Upper Mississippi Valley
There is light snow expected over parts of the Upper Mississippi Valley according to the National Weather Service’s (NWS) Weather Prediction Center.
It added the snow will develop along the northern edge of the precipitation shield extending into parts of the Ohio Valley on Tuesday. An overall low pressure system will move over the Middle Mississippi Valley heading eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Coast by the mid-week.
The NWS said, “Rain and a few embedded thunderstorms will develop over parts of the Ohio Valley on Tuesday, tapering off by Wednesday. In addition, rain will move into the Central Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday afternoon, continuing into Wednesday morning before tapering off.”
The NWS said a second area of low pressure will develop along the western edge of the front over the Southern Plains on Wednesday morning. This will head northeastward to the Central Plains and middle Mississippi Valley by Thursday.
