Commodities

Wheat Falls as Warm, Dry Days May Help Accelerate U.S. Planting, Growth Wheat prices fell for a second straight day on speculation that warm, dry Midwest weather will end U.S. planting delays caused by too much rain and spur early growth for a crop that will go dormant for the winter.

China May Slow Imports of Vegetable Oils Amid High Stockpiles, Cofco Says China, the world’s largest consumer of vegetable oil, may slow imports in 2009/2010 amid high domestic stockpiles, an executive from Cofco Oil & Grains Co. said.

Copper Drops as Surging U.S. Jobless Rate Spurs Concerns Demand May Weaken Copper prices declined after a report showed the U.S. jobless rate climbed to a 26-year high as employers cut back more than forecast, raising demand concerns.

Gold May Rise Next Week on Central-Bank Buying Speculation, Survey Shows Gold may advance to a record on speculation that central banks and investors will purchase the metal to hedge against a declining dollar, a survey showed.

Copper Inventories Increase to Highest in More Than Five Years in Shanghai Shanghai copper stockpiles climbed for a second week to the highest in more than five years, the Shanghai Futures Exchange said in a report on its Web site.

Cotton-Production Estimate May Be Cut by U.S., According to Analyst Survey Cotton output in the U.S., the largest cotton exporter, probably will be less than forecast in October after excess rain last month threatened crops in the most-productive growing regions, analysts said.