CBOT wheat ends firmer on positioning, Russian weather

CHICAGO, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures closed higher on Monday as traders squared positions ahead of the New Year and concerns built about weather in wheat-growing areas of Russia.

• CBOT March soft red winter wheat WH25 settled up 1-3/4 cents at $5.48-1/4 per bushel.

• K.C. March hard red winter wheat KWH25 ended up 1-1/4 cents at $5.55-3/4 bushel and Minneapolis March spring wheat MWEH25 fell 1-1/2 cents to $5.93-3/4.

• Low trade volume caused erratic price movements as traders squared positions ahead of the New Year holiday.

• Russian wheat export prices rose last week, tracking global prices, with analysts expecting weak export activity due to the upcoming holiday.

• The Russian state weather forecasting agency sees worsening conditions for winter cereals in January in Russia's central and Volga regions, with warmer-than-usual weather and excess moisture causing sprouts to keep growing during the winter.

(Reporting by Renee Hickman; Editing by Sandra Maler)

((renee.hickman@thomsonreuters.com))