CBOT wheat rises ahead of Trump-Xi talks

CHICAGO, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures closed slightly higher on Wednesday as traders awaited talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday.

• Short covering helped lift the market, traders said.

• They were watching to see whether China agrees to buy U.S. farm products as part of a potential trade deal.

• Analysts estimated weekly U.S. wheat export sales were 350,000 to 600,000 metric tons, according to a Reuters poll.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended weekly export sales reports, normally published on Thursdays, due to the federal government's shutdown.

• CBOT December soft red winter wheat WZ25 finished up 3-1/4 cents at $5.32-1/4 per bushel. On Tuesday, the most-active contract Wv1 hit its highest price since mid-September.

• K.C. December hard red winter wheat KWZ25 rose 2-3/4 cents to end at $5.22-3/4 a bushel, and Minneapolis December spring wheat MWEZ25 was last down 1-1/4 cents at $5.60-1/2 a bushel.

• European wheat prices extended a setback following a rally on Monday that was seen as excessive in light of big global supplies, traders said.