Chicago agricultural commodities settle mixed

CHICAGO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) grains closed mixed Thursday with corn futures rising on fresh export demand and bargain-buying.

Wheat futures firmed, stabilizing after a series of contract lows in recent days, while soybeans ended fractionally lower after a choppy session.

The most active corn contract for March delivery went up 2.25 cents, or 0.64 percent, to 3.5575 dollars per bushel. March wheat delivery fell 1.75 cents, or 0.4 percent, to 4.33 dollars per bushel. January soybeans dropped 6.75 cents, or 0.68 percent to 9.8575 dollars per bushel.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Weekly Export Sales Report showed lackluster demand, except for soybeans.

As for vegetable oil markets, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is saying this week that it will maintain the U.S. conventional biofuel mandate at 15 billion gallons,-mostly ethanol, the same as the current year, and keep the biodiesel mandate at 2.1 million gallons for 2018 and 2019.

Biodiesel groups have been heavily lobbing U.S. government to raise the 2019 mandate to 2.4-2.6 billion gallons based on additional capacity, but such an increase was not approved. Enditem