GRAINS-Soy, corn futures retreat on profit-taking, South American weather

Updates with closing U.S. prices

By Julie Ingwersen

CHICAGO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - U.S. soybean futures fell more than 2% on Thursday as forecasts for much-needed rains in dry areas of Argentina's crop belt and expectations of a massive Brazilian soy harvest sparked a round of profit-taking, analysts said.

Corn futures sagged on rain prospects for Argentina and pressure from a wave of farmer grain sales after the benchmark futures contract touched its highest level in a year this week. Wheat followed the lower trend.

Chicago Board of Trade soybeans Sv1 settled down 23-3/4 cents, or 2.3%, at $10.19 per bushel. Corn futures Cv1 ended down 4-1/4 cents, or 0.9%, at $4.74-1/2 a bushel and CBOT wheat Wv1 finished down 9-1/2 cents, or 1.7%, at $5.37-1/2 a bushel.

Soybeans and corn were pressured by expectations that weekend showers in Argentina may ease crop stress. Argentine farmers' groups have asked the government to offer tax cuts for the sector, which they said was in a "critical" situation due to a drought.

Some analysts saw the improved Argentine weather outlook as a cue for speculators to book profits after CBOT corn hit a one-year high on Tuesday at $4.79-3/4 a bushel and soybeans Sv1 notched a three-month top at $10.64.

Commodity funds have expanded their net long position in CBOT corn futures in recent weeks, leaving the market vulnerable to bouts of long liquidation.

"Farmer selling has been heavy in recent days, leading to much weaker basis, which fund managers seem to be just figuring out," StoneX chief commodities economist Arlan Suderman wrote in a client note.

Soybeans were further pressured by the approach of the harvest in Brazil, the world's top producer. Agroconsult, a Brazilian consultancy, raised its estimate of the country's soybean crop to a record 172.4 million metric tons, from 172.2 million previously, ahead of a countrywide crop tour.

Meanwhile, CBOT soymeal futures SMv1 ended down about 2.5% a day after the National Oilseed Processors Association reported a record-large U.S. soy crush in December, underscoring plentiful soymeal output.

Wheat futures dipped amid lacklustre demand.

The International Grains Council (IGC) projected the 2025/26 global wheat crop at a record 805 million metric tons, up 1% year-on-year, but said projected gains in consumption could result in a further drawdown in end-season stocks. The IGC left its 2024/25 world harvest estimate at 796 million tons.

(Reporting by Peter Hobson in Canberra and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris; Editing by Rashmi Aich, Sumana Nandy, Vijay Kishore, Nia Williams and Aurora Ellis)

((peter.hobson@thomsonreuters.com;))