CBOT Trends-Wheat up 2-5 cents, corn up 3-5 cents, soybeans up 2-7 cents

CHICAGO, March 19 (Reuters) - The following are U.S. expectations for the resumption of grain and soy complex trading at the Chicago Board of Trade at 8:30 a.m. CDT (1330 GMT) on Thursday:

WHEAT - Up 2 to 5 cents per bushel

• Wheat futures continued to firm on concerns about dry conditions potentially worsening in the U.S. Plains winter wheat belt.

• The Taiwan Flour Millers' Association purchased an estimated 105,025 metric tons of milling wheat to be sourced from the United States in a tender on Thursday, European traders said.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported net weekly U.S. wheat export sales for 2025/26 for the week ended on March 12 at 401,946 metric tons, within a range of analyst estimates.

• Russia-focused agriculture consultancy Sovecon has raised its forecast for Russia's 2026 wheat crop by 1.7 million metric tons to 87.6 million metric tons citing generally favourable weather conditions.

• CBOT May soft red winter wheat WK26 was last up 4-3/4 cents at $6.09 per bushel. K.C. May hard red winter wheat KWK26 was last up 3-1/4 cents at $6.29-1/4 a bushel and Minneapolis May spring wheat MWEK26 was up 5-3/4 cents at $6.43 per bushel.

CORN - Up 3 to 5 cents per bushel

• Corn futures higher as rising crude oil prices CLc1 underpinned the market, given corn's role as a feedstock for ethanol.

• Brent oil prices LCOc1 jumped above $119 a barrel after Iran attacked energy facilities across the Middle East following Israel's strike on its South Pars gas field. O/R

• U.S. grain markets also have seen support from the so-called "inflation trade" - where rising crude oil prices have investors adjusting their positions for higher headline inflation and increased costs for energy and transportation.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported net weekly U.S. corn export sales for 2025/26 for the week ended on March 12 at 1,183,816 metric tons, within the range of analyst estimates.

• The U.S. Energy Information Administration said weekly production of corn-based ethanol fell in the week ended March 13 to 1.093 million barrels per day, a six-week low. Weekly U.S. ethanol stockpiles rose to 26.407 million barrels, up 827,000 from the prior week. EIA/S

• The Trump administration is expected to announce soon that it will temporarily lift federal smog-cutting restrictions on summer-blend gasoline to curb rising energy prices stemming from the Iran conflict, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

• CBOT May corn CK26 was last up 4-1/4 cents at $4.67-1/2 per bushel.

SOYBEANS - Up 2 to 7 cents per bushel

• Soybean futures turn higher on expectations for improving demand from biofuels producers bolstering the market, amid growing investor demand for commodities during the Middle East conflict.

• The July to November soybean contract spread continues to come under a lot of pressure, market analysts said, amid trade expectations that U.S. producers may increase the amount of soybean acres they plant this spring.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported net weekly U.S. soybean export sales for 2025/26 for the week ended on March 12 at 304,808 metric tons, below analyst estimates.

• President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday announced a 60-day waiver of the Jones Act shipping law, temporarily allowing foreign-flagged vessels to move fuel, fertilizer and other goods between U.S. ports to combat price increases and supply disruptions from the Iran conflict - a move that market analysts said also may help boost exports.

• CBOT May soybeans SK26 were last up 2 cents at $11.63-3/4 per bushel.