U.S. soybeans fell on Thursday to extend two-day losses to nearly 2.5 percent as fears of an escalation in a trade war between the United States and China weighed on prices.

FUNDAMENTALS

* The most active soybean futures on the Chicago Board Of Trade were down 0.5 percent to $8.97 a bushel by 0040 GMT, having closed down 1.9 percent on Wednesday.

* The most active corn futures were up 0.2 percent at $3.80-1/4 a bushel, having closed down 1.8 percent in the previous session.

* The most active wheat futures were up 0.6 percent for a fourth session in a row at $5.61-1/2 a bushel, having closed up 0.8 percent on Wednesday.

* The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump plans to propose a 25 percent tariff on $200 billion in Chinese imports, instead of a 10 percent tariff.

* An intensified trade war could affect sales of U.S. soybeans to China, which imported around $12 billion of the oilseed last year.

* In Germany, the European unio’s No. 2 grain producer, the 2018 grains harvest will slump about 20 percent on the year to around 36 million tonnes, after crops suffered massive damage from drought and a heat wave, according to German farmers association DBV.

MARKET NEWS

* The U.S. dollar clung to gains against a basket of peers on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged but characterized the economy as strong, keeping the central bank on track to increase borrowing costs in September.

* Oil prices fell about 2 percent on Wednesday as a surprise increase in U.S. crude stockpiles fed concerns about global oversupply, while investors worried that trade tensions could hit energy demand.

* The S&P 500 and Dow slipped on Wednesday as gains in Apple shares were offset by a dro in energy and industrial companies, while the U.S. Federal Reserve remained on course for an expected interest rate hike in September.

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