DTN Early Word Grains 02/17 05:52

DTN Early Word Grains 02/17 05:51 Grains Modestly Higher Ahead of Export Sales Report March corn was up 1/2 cent, March soybeans were up 9 1/4 cents and March KC wheat was up 7 cents. Tregg Cronin DTN Contributing Analyst Pre-6 a.m. Globex Prices: March corn was up 1/2 cent, March soybeans were up 9 1/4 cents and March KC wheat was up 7 cents. CME Globex Recap: Early Thursday, Dow Jones futures are trading lower after minutes released from the Federal Reserve's latest meeting showed members getting ready to increase the federal funds rate target and eventually start shrinking the Fed's balance sheet. Crude oil is trading lower even though NATO and U.S. officials say they are not seeing any withdrawal of Russian troops. Walmart is scheduled to report earnings early Thursday and USDA's weekly export sales report will be out at 7:30 a.m. CST. OUTSIDE MARKETS: Previous closes Wednesday showed the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 54.57 at 34,934.27 and the S&P 500 up 3.94 at 4,475.01 as the 10-Year Treasury yield ended at 2.05%. Early Thursday, March Dow Jones futures are trading down 157 points. Asian markets are mixed with Japan's Nikkei 225 index down 0.83% and China's Shanghai Composite Index up 0.06%. European markets are mixed with the spot futures of the London FTSE 100 trading down 0.49%, spot futures of Germany's DAX trading down 0.01% and spot futures of France's CAC Index trading up 0.32%. The March euro is down $0.0031 at $1.1366. The March U.S. Dollar Index is up 0.17 at 95.87. The March 30-year T-bond is up 18/32nds, while April gold is up $15.70 at $1,887.20 and March crude oil is down $2.05 at $91.61. On China's Dalian exchange, May corn was up 0.2%, March soybeans were up 1.1%, May soybean meal was up 0.9% and May soybean oil was up 1.3%. April Malaysian palm oil is trading up 2.1%, near all-time highs.