Soybean futures trade sideways as harvest pace dictates direction.

Agricultural futures saw mixed trading action on Wednesday as traders digested a blend of fundamental data and harvest progress. Soybean futures traded in a choppy 19'2-cent range, initially finding support from a 10-cargo Chinese purchase before facing heavy selling pressure that left the market mostly sideways. Option open interest is clearing out with only days left in the November contract, and soybean CVOL sits at 13.8%. Corn futures felt pressure from mixed fundamentals, with the harvest advancing 10% but still trailing the average pace by 6%. While inspections rose 5% year-over-year, exports dropped 4%, keeping the December contract churning in a tight range before settling lower. Wheat futures navigated a choppy session, bouncing off one-month lows as winter wheat planting reached 51%, keeping progress 7% behind the historical average. The Chicago December contract recovered from early lows to post modest gains.