CBOT wheat ends fractionally lower on ample supplies; USDA data awaited

CHICAGO, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures closed fractionally lower on Thursday, pressured by ample global supplies including a record-large Argentine harvest, while strength in corn and soybean futures underpinned the market, traders said.

• CBOT December soft red winter wheat WZ25 settled down 1/4 cent at $5.35-3/4 per bushel.

• K.C. December hard red winter wheat KWZ25 ended up 1/4 cent at $5.25-3/4 a bushel and Minneapolis December spring wheat MWEZ25 finished unchanged at $5.69-3/4 a bushel.

• The Buenos Aires Grains Exchange raised its estimate of Argentina's 2025/26 wheat harvest to a record 24 million metric tons, up from 22 million previously. The country's Rosario Exchange on Wednesday also raised its wheat forecast to a record 24.5 million tons.

• Traders were adjusting positions ahead of long-awaited crop supply/demand reports due from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday.

• Ahead of the reports, the first since mid-September, analysts surveyed by Reuters on average expect the government to raise its forecasts of 2025/26 U.S. and global wheat ending stocks.

• Following a 43-day U.S. government shutdown, the USDA on Thursday began releasing export sales data, starting with its weekly report from the week ended September 25, and it planned to issue a list on Friday showing daily sales of U.S. agricultural products over the last six weeks.

• The USDA reported export sales of U.S. wheat in the week to September 25 at 315,900 metric tons, toward the low end of trade expectations for 300,000 to 650,000 tons.