Soybeans Firming to Start Thursday

Group 1 - Soybean futures showed slight gains of 1 to 3 cents on Thursday morning, following a slight decline in the previous day's trading [1] - Open interest increased by 4,838 contracts on Wednesday, indicating heightened trading activity [1] - The national average cash price for soybeans decreased by 1 3/4 cents to $10.97 3/4 [1] Group 2 - The USDA's weekly Export Sales report is anticipated to show soybean sales between 0.3-1 million metric tons (MMT) for the week of February 26 [2] - Soybean meal sales are projected to be between 200,000-550,000 metric tons for the last week of February, while soybean oil is expected to have net reductions of 20,000 metric tons to net sales of 26,000 metric tons [2] Group 3 - Statistics Canada is set to release planting intentions data for 2026, with analysts expecting an increase in canola acreage to 22.3 million acres from 21.5 million acres in 2025 [3] - Recent soybean closing prices indicate a slight decline, with March 26 soybeans closing at $11.54 1/2, down 1 1/4 cents, and nearby cash at $10.96 3/4, down 1 3/4 cents [3]