CBOT soybeans lower as trade weighs Chinese demand for US soy

CHICAGO, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade soybeans sagged on Friday and were headed for their first weekly loss in eight weeks amid uncertainty over the scale of Chinese demand for U.S. supplies under a bilateral trade truce.

• CBOT January soybeans SF26 settled 14-1/4 cents lower to $11.05-1/4 per bushel.

• CBOT January soymeal SMF26 ended $3.80 lower to $307.40 per short ton while January soyoil BOF26 rose, finishing down 0.10 cent at 51.69 cents per pound.

• The USDA on Friday confirmed private sales of 462,000 metric tons of U.S. soybeans to China for shipment in the 2025-26 marketing year, following market chatter about deals this week. In its daily reporting system, the agency has reported sales of about 2.7 million tons of U.S. soybeans to China since October 30.

• China's overall purchases remain below a 12-million-ton target referred to by senior U.S. officials, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week appeared to push back the deadline for reaching the target to end-February from end-December. On Thursday, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said U.S. trade with China needed to be balanced and probably needed to be smaller.