US MIDDAY: wheat, soya down; corn up

Grain futures on the Chicago Board of Trade were mostly lower on Friday, with profit-taking weighing on March wheat and soyabean futures, traders said. Corn prices were higher, underpinned by expected demand from China. Futures appeared overbought after gains posted this week, the traders said, and some holders of long positions were exiting the market before the weekend, unwilling to hold positions when geopolitical factors - particularly the unrest in Egypt - remained in flux.
CBOT trends as of 10:30 am CST (1630 GMT) on Friday: March wheat down 4-1/2 cents at $8.54-1/2 per bushel. March corn up 2-1/4 cents at $6.64-3/4 per bushel. March soyabeans down 3-3/4 cents at $14.31-3/4 per bushel.