CBOT wheat ends down

Chicago Board of Trade May wheat futures closed lower Thursday on technical selling ahead of the US Department of Agriculture's Friday reports, analysts said. CBOT May wheat settled down 4-1/2 cents at $4.21 per bushel. K.C. May hard red winter wheat ended 6-1/4 cents lower at $4.17-1/4 and MGEX May spring wheat rose a quarter of a cent to $5.43-1/2.
The USDA reported weekly export sales of old-crop wheat at 464,100 tonnes, above a range of trade expectations, and new-crop sales of 163,500 tonnes, in line with expectations. Analysts surveyed by Reuters expect the USDA on Friday to project a decline in US spring and total wheat plantings and a year-on-year increase in March 1 wheat stocks.