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We look to start off the day with Unemployment numbers (Dec.) at 7:30 a.m., Fed Daly Speech at 9;00 a.m., NY Fed Treasury Purchases 0 to 2.25 yrs. at 9:30 a.m., Fed Bostic Speech at 121:15 a.m., Fed Barkin Speech at 11:30 a.m., Baker Hughes oil & Total Rig Count at 12:00 p.m., and Consumer Credit Change (Nov.) at 2:00 p.m.

On the corn front, Mike North with ever.ag stated that really strong demand for soybean meal sent prices north of $400 a ton while soybean oil has also been trading near multi-year highs. The risk management specialist says opportunities are now there for making a profit on soybeans and corn.

On and off weather in South America is playing a role in prices, and weather changes are expected to be over 11 degrees with no rain. In the overnight electronic session, the March corn futures have been recently trading at 600 ¼, which is 3 ½ cents lower. The trading range has been 606 to 599.

On the ethanol front, steady sugar prices and higher ethanol blending are keeping manufacturers in a sweet spot. November ethanol exports were up 43% on the month, a multi-year high. There were no trades in ethanol futures.

On the crude oil front, $100 a barrel - here we come. There seems no stopping it due to inflation and a terrible energy policy. These woes will cost us at the pump. In the overnight electronic session, the February crude oil futures have been recently trading at 8003, which is 57 points higher. The trading range has been 8047 to 7947.

On the natural gas front, this market has been trading in an up and down pattern with Arctic weather remaining until the middle of next week. In the overnight electronic session, the February natural gas futures have recently been trading at 3.877, which is 0.055 higher. The trading range has been 3.893 to 3.800.