Corn Futures Tick Higher Ahead of Presidents’ Day as Export Demand Holds Firm

Corn futures ended Friday with modest gains, closing the week on a slightly positive note as traders adjusted positions ahead of the long holiday weekend. With markets set to close on Monday for Presidents’ Day, activity remained light, but steady demand helped keep prices supported.

March corn contracts finished the week marginally higher, while the national average cash corn price edged closer to the $4.00 mark, reflecting cautious optimism across the market.

Fund Positioning Signals Reduced Bearish Pressure

Recent data shows large speculative funds easing back on their negative outlook. Managed money traders cut more than 20,000 contracts from their net short exposure earlier in the week, leaving overall bearish positions significantly reduced.

This shift suggests some investors are reconsidering downside bets, potentially in response to improving demand indicators and stabilizing price action.

Export Commitments Offer Key Support

Export sales continue to provide an underlying boost for corn prices. Total commitments—combining shipped volumes and outstanding orders—have climbed to roughly 60.8 million metric tons. That figure represents a sharp increase from last year and accounts for nearly three-quarters of the full-season export projection.

Matching the typical pace for this point in the marketing year, these numbers indicate that global buyers remain engaged despite ongoing market uncertainty.

Weekly Corn Price Snapshot

Corn contracts posted fractional gains across key delivery months:

• March corn settled near $4.31¾, slightly higher on the day
• Average cash corn rose to about $3.98¼
• May corn closed close to $4.42
• July corn finished around $4.50

While moves were small, the consistency across contracts suggests a market attempting to build a short-term base.

Corn Market Outlook

Heading into the holiday break, corn prices appear to be stabilizing as export strength offsets lingering macro uncertainty. Reduced speculative pressure and steady demand could help limit downside risk in the near term.

However, with fresh catalysts scarce and trading volumes expected to remain thin, market participants will likely wait for new data before committing to stronger directional moves. For now, corn enters the long weekend supported by solid exports and improving sentiment, even as broader momentum remains restrained.

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