Chicago agricultural commodities close mixed

Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) grains futures settle mixed on Thursday with soybean futures rebounding as buyers entered the market amid continued signs of robust demand for U.S. supplies.

The most active corn contract for March delivery fell 5.5 cents, or 1.52 percent, to 3.565 dollars per bushel. March wheat delivery dropped 8.75 cents, or 2.09 percent, to 2.09 dollars per bushel. January soybeans added 5.25 cents, or 0.51 percent, to 10.29 dollars per bushel.

Prices for soybeans closed higher following a three-day slide in the market as buying by commodity funds developed in part due to a government report showing weekly export sales had topped analyst expectations, with China the main purchaser of U.S. supplies.

Firm overseas demand is seen as critical to making a dent in large soybean stockpiles, which were added to by what is likely to be record U.S. crop this year.

Corn and wheat prices sank, buffeted in part by sharp gains in the U.S. dollar, which makes domestic grain supplies less attractive to foreign importers.

Prices for corn also were weighed down by a bigger production forecast from Informa Economics, which pegged the 2016 crop at 15.275 billion bushels. The United States Department of Agriculture's latest estimate for corn was 15.226 billion. Enditem