CBOT wheat ends down on dollar strength, Plains rain

CHICAGO, March 20 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures ticked down on Friday as precipitation was expected in the parched U.S. Southern Plains and the U.S. dollar gained strength.

• The dollar gained ground on Friday as investors pared their bets on Fed rate cuts, given the probability of rising inflation triggered by higher energy prices.

• A stronger dollar tends to make U.S. exports more expensive, rendering them less competitive in global markets.

• Hot, dry conditions are forecast for the U.S. Southern Plains in the coming weeks, but rains could provide some relief, according to Commodity Weather Group.

• 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.

• CBOT May soft red winter wheat WK26 ended 12-3/4 cents lower at $5.95-1/4 per bushel. For the week it ended down 3.01%.

• K.C. May hard red winter wheat KWK26 settled down 21 cents at $6.06-1/4 per bushel.

• Minneapolis May spring wheat MWEK26 lost 15-3/4 cents to finish at $6.28 per bushel.