China buying U.S. soybeans again but well below Trump's trade deal target

[Soybean]
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China has resumed buying U.S. soybeans after a months-long boycott but still lags goals [https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/09/china-buys-us-soybeans-trump-trade-agreement.html] set by the Trump administration's trade agreement, according to an NBC News analysis posted Tuesday.

Under the trade deal, China pledged to buy at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans in November and December, but China has bought just 2.85 million metric tons of soybeans since October 30, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data compiled by NBC.

Treasury Secretary Bessent said recently that China is on track to purchase 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans by the end of February.

CBOT soybeans (S_1:COM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/S_1:COM]) for January delivery settled -0.6% on Tuesday to $10.87 1/2 per bushel for a second straight daily loss following news the $12 billion government aid package, which looks to offer short-term help for farmers affected by the U.S.-China trade impasse.

But farmers are "unimpressed [https://www.morningstar.com/news/dow-jones/202512086789/soybean-futures-slide-as-farmers-unimpressed-by-aid-package-daily-grain-highlights]," Muddy Boots Ag's Peter Meyer said, as many see the package as little more than a band-aid over fundamental structural issues for U.S. agriculture.

"For the most part, farmers are against these payments as they see it as pass through to input suppliers, banks, and the like," Meyer wrote. "There is plenty of concern that these payments are becoming the new norm and will eventually strike an even stronger blow to the farm economy."

Also, CBOT corn (C_1:COM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/C_1:COM]) for March delivery closed +1% to $4.48 per bushel, as lower ending stocks for U.S. corn marked the only noteworthy change in the December WASDE report [https://www.usda.gov/oce/commodity/wasde/wasde1225.pdf] from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The WASDE report left production figures for corn, soybeans, and wheat unchanged from the November report, with a larger draw on U.S. corn inventories as the only major change to the U.S. outlook.

"USDA largely froze U.S. balance sheets and made only incremental global tweaks, reinforcing a neutral, wait-for-January posture," RJO Futures said in a note following the report's release.

CBOT wheat (W_1:COM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/W_1:COM]) for March delivery settled -0.1% to $5.34 1/2 per bushel.

ETFs: (SOYB [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/SOYB]), (CORN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/CORN]), (WEAT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/WEAT]), (DBA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/DBA]), (MOO [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MOO])

MORE ON U.S. GRAIN FUTURES

* Strong Supply To Keep Wheat Prices Capped [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4851735-strong-supply-to-keep-wheat-prices-capped]
* A Tighter 2026/27 Corn Market Suggests Prices Have Bottomed [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4851727-a-tighter-202627-corn-market-suggests-prices-have-bottomed]
* Tighter Times Ahead For The Soybean Market [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4851713-tighter-times-ahead-for-soybean-market]