CBOT wheat ends higher on technical buying, short-covering

CHICAGO, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures closed higher on Wednesday on what appeared to be technical buying and short-covering, traders said, while market-moving news was lacking.

• CBOT March soft red winter wheat WH26 settled up 9 cents at $5.37-1/4 per bushel.

• K.C. March hard red winter wheat KWH26 ended up 8 cents at $5.38-1/2 per bushel and Minneapolis March spring wheat MWEH26 rose 2 cents to finish at $5.70-1/4 a bushel.

• Commodity funds hold a sizable net short position in CBOT wheat futures, leaving the market vulnerable to bouts of short-covering.

• Ahead of Thursday's weekly USDA export sales report, traders expected the government to report next export sales of U.S. old-crop wheat in the week ended February 5 at 200,000 to 500,000 metric tons.

• European wheat futures edged higher, mainly supported by a fall of the euro against the dollar, making it more competitive on world markets.

• Farm office FranceAgriMer reduced its forecast for French soft wheat exports outside the European Union in 2025/26 by 300,000 metric tons to 7.20 million as competition from Argentine wheat continued to weigh.

• Jordan's state grain buyer issued an international tender to buy up to 120,000 metric tons of milling wheat which can be sourced from optional origins, European traders said.