* U.S. soy harvest 76% complete, corn 59% complete
* Rains in Brazil to boost soy planting, pressure prices
* Chinese agriculture companies sign US purchase deals
CHICAGO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade corn futures fell for a third straight session on Tuesday and hit their lowest level in more than a week under pressure from U.S. harvesting and technical selling, analysts said.
Wheat futures also eased, while soybeans traded higher.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a weekly report issued after trading ended on Monday, estimated U.S. farmers harvested 76% of their soybean crop and 59% of their corn by Sunday. The figures, roughly in line with trade expectations, were ahead of the five-year average pace for each crop.
"Producers are harvesting corn and soybeans amid warm, dry conditions, in advance of an approaching storm system," the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a daily weather report.
Most-active corn futures fell 4-1/4 cents to $4.86 a bushel by 11:25 a.m. CDT (1625 GMT), after touching their weakest price since Oct. 12 at $4.84-1/4 a bushel.
Technical selling weighed on prices after the market quickly pulled back from August highs above $5 a bushel on Friday, brokers said.
"The corn chart is kind of breaking down here today," a broker said.
CBOT wheat slid 6-1/2 cents to $5.80-3/4 a bushel, while soybeans rose 2-3/4 cents to $12.89-1/2 a bushel after falling earlier to their lowest price since Oct. 16.
Rains forecast this week in Brazil, which could boost soybean planting after a hot, dry spell, capped prices.
A delegation of commodity importers from China on Monday signed agreements to buy billions of dollars' worth of agricultural goods, mostly soybeans, during a ceremony in Iowa, the U.S. Soybean Export Council said on Tuesday.
Chatter about possible further Chinese purchases of U.S. wheat helped support CBOT wheat on Monday. In the absence of further export news, however, attention shifted partly back to export competition from Russia, which is expected to produce its second-largest grain harvest, traders said. (Reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago. Additional reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris and Naveen Thukral in Singapore; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil, David Holmes and Jonathan Oatis)
