The Daily Board — August 5, 2026
Precious metals ran the table today, gold and silver both up better than 3%, while the dollar softened and crude gave a little back.
Grains were a split decision: wheat firm on all three exchanges, corn and beans in the red, with soybeans slipping below a technical level worth watching.
The Board
Grains & Oilseeds
🌽 Corn · Dec — 460'0 · −5'4 · −1.18% 🔴⬇️
🫘 Beans · Nov — 1174'6 · −3'0 · −0.25% 🔴⬇️
🥣 Meal · Dec — 315.60 · −2.80 · −0.88% 🔴⬇️
🛢️ Oil · Dec — 67.17 · −0.35 · −0.52% 🔴⬇️
🌾 SRW · Sep — 642'2 · +3'6 · +0.59% 🟢⬆️
🌾 HRW · Sep — 713'4 · +6'4 · +0.92% 🟢⬆️
🌾 HRS · Dec — 708'0 · −1'2 · −0.18% 🔴⬇️
🌾 Oats · Dec — 333'6 · +2'2 · +0.68% 🟢⬆️
Prairie Crops
🍁 Canola · Nov — C$766.00 · +5.30 · +0.70% 🟢⬆️
🐮 Barley · cash — C$274/mt · ➖
Energy
🛢️ WTI · Sep — 75.22 † · −0.55 · −0.73% 🔴⬇️
🔥 NatGas · Sep — 2.688 · +0.006 · +0.22% ➖
Metals
🥇 Gold · Dec — 4,305.20 · +152.60 · +3.67% 🟢⬆️
🥈 Silver · Sep — 62.288 · +2.043 · +3.39% 🟢⬆️
The Read
🌽 Corn — 460'0, −5'4 (−1.18%) 🔴⬇️ $CORN ( ▲ 0.17% )
New-crop (Dec) corn gave back over a nickel as harvest-size U.S. and South American supply keeps a lid on rallies.
Export demand is still there — private exporters flashed corn sales to Mexico again this week, but it's not enough to offset the seasonal pressure.
So what: cheaper corn helps your feed bill if you're buying, but it's another data point pushing on-farm storage math the wrong way for sellers holding new crop.
Watch: Friday's Crop Progress ratings for any condition slippage that could put a floor under the slide.
🫘 Soybeans — 1174'6, −3'0 (−0.25%) 🔴⬇️ $SOYB ( ▲ 0.06% )
Beans slipped below the 200-week moving average on the nearby chart today, a technical line the funds watch closely.
China buying is still trickling in (another daily flash sale reported), but it's old-crop-sized, not enough to change the trend.
So what: a broken technical level tends to invite more fund selling before it invites buying — don't read too much into one session, but don't ignore it either.
Watch: whether the funds press the short side now that the chart's given them a reason to.
🥣 Soybean Meal — 315.60, −2.80 (−0.88%) 🔴⬇️
Meal led the soy complex lower today, giving back some of its recent premium in the crush (the margin a processor earns turning beans into meal and oil).
Protein-feed demand remains steady, but nothing new pushed buyers to chase today's board.
So what: softer meal is a small win for livestock rations, but it's meal carrying the weaker side of the crush today, not oil.
Watch: Thursday's Export Sales report for whether meal demand is still outrunning old-crop supply.
🛢️ Soybean Oil — 67.17, −0.35 (−0.52%) 🔴⬇️
Oil drifted lower in step with crude, its usual leash (biofuel demand ties soy oil's fortunes to the energy complex).
No fresh renewable-diesel policy news today — this was a quiet, sympathy-driven session.
So what: oil's still the better-supported half of the crush this week, just not by much today.
Watch: any EPA or biofuel-mandate headlines, which can move oil independent of the rest of the complex.
🌾 SRW Wheat (Chicago) — 642'2, +3'6 (+0.59%) 🟢⬆️ $WEAT ( ▲ 0.8% )