USDA LIFTS CORN YIELD ABOVE ALL FORECASTS

USDA raised its 2026 corn yield estimate to 181.2 bushels per acre on Friday, up from 178.5 in September and well above the 177.7 traders had priced in. The move reversed two straight months of downward revisions and caught the market off guard, since analysts were braced for another cut, not an increase. Corn futures ($CORN) sold off on the surprise, as a bigger harvest removes any pressure on prices to ration demand.