Soybeans, Wheat, Corn Called Lower on Signs Japan Disaster to Cut Demand

What follows are opening calls for U.S. oilseed and grain markets.

-- Soybean futures may open 15 cents to 20 cents a bushel lower on the Chicago Board of Trade on concern that the nuclear disaster in Japan will reduce demand, said Alan Brugler, the president of Brugler Marketing & Management LLC in Omaha, Nebraska. Soybean-oil futures are expected to open 0.6 cent to 0.7 cent a pound lower, and soybean-meal futures may open down $2 to $4 for 2,000 pounds of the animal feed.

-- Wheat futures may open 18 cents to 22 cents a bushel lower on the CBOT, the Kansas City Board of Trade and the Minneapolis Grain Exchange as the earthquake and nuclear crisis in Japan spurs concern that demand for raw materials, including investment assets, will shrink, Brugler said.

-- Corn futures are called to open 10 cents to 15 cents a bushel lower in Chicago as investors unwind bets on higher prices and producers of ethanol, animal feed and food made from the grain wait to increase purchases, Brugler said.

(Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-15/soy-grains-may-open-lower-as-japan-nuclear-risk-cuts-demand.html)