DTN Early Word Grains 01/17 05:56

DTN Early Word Grains 01/17 05:56 Grains Race Past Winter's Midpoint March corn was 3 cents higher, March soybeans were 17 cents higher, and July Chicago wheat was 1 cent higher. By Darin Newsom DTN Senior Analyst 6:00 a.m. CME Globex: March corn was 3 cents higher, March soybeans were 17 cents higher, and July Chicago wheat was 1 cent higher. CME Globex Recap: According to the calendar, winter is now half over. Grains started the second-half with a strong rally, once again led by soybeans. Winter wheat was mixed with Kansas City giving back a small part of last week's gains. Softs and metals were mostly higher, with gold up an impressive $20, while the energy complex found renewed buying interest. The U.S. dollar index and DJIA were both under pressure. OUTSIDE MARKETS: The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 5.27 points lower at 19,885.73. The NASDAQ Composite gained 26.63 points (0.5%) to 5,574.12 and the S&P 500 was up 4.20 points (0.2%) at 2,274.64 Friday. DJIA futures were 101 points lower early Tuesday morning. Asian markets were mixed with Japan's Nikkei down 281.71 points (1.5%), Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 122.82 points (0.5%), and China's Shanghai Composite added 5.35 points (0.2%). European markets were mostly lower Tuesday with London's FTSE 100 down 24.66 points (0.3%), Germany's DAX off 101.93 points (0.9%), and France's CAC 40 losing 30.70 points (0.6%). The U.S. dollar index was 0.89 lower at 100.68 while the euro was up 0.0089 at 1.0691. March 30-year T-Bonds gained 1 and 5/32 to 153'14 while February gold rallied $21.00 to $1,217.20. Crude oil gained $0.79 to $53.16 while Brent crude was $0.74 higher at $56.60. Dalian soybean and Malaysian palm oil futures were both higher overnight.