SINGAPORE, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Chicago wheat futures slid on Thursday, as expectations of strong exports from Russia eased some of the concerns arising from attacks on Ukrainian port.
Soybeans fell for a second session while corn lost more ground as pressure from crop-friendly weather in the U.S. Midwest weighed on prices.
FUNDAMENTALS
* The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) fell 0.1% to $6.39-1/2 a bushel, as of 0035 GMT, corn gave up 0.5% to $4.98 a bushel and soybeans lost 0.1% to $13.19-3/4 a bushel.
* Russia attacked Ukraine's main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on Wednesday as it ramped up its use of force to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain.
* The drone attacks destroyed buildings in the port of Izmail and halted ships as they prepared to arrive there to load with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto blockade Russia reimposed in mid-July.
* However, expectations of strong exports from Russia, the world's biggest supplier, weighed on prices.
* Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday that Moscow was ready to return to the Black Sea grain deal as soon as the West met its obligations regarding Russia's own grain exports.
* Cooler, wetter weather forecast across the U.S. Midwest in August continue to pressure corn and soybean prices.
* Commodity funds were net sellers of CBOT soybean, wheat, corn, soymeal and soyoil futures contracts on Wednesday, traders said.
MARKET NEWS
* Global stocks slumped on Wednesday, while Treasury yields ticked up and the dollar gained, as investors digested an unexpected downgrade of the United States' top-tier sovereign credit rating and private payrolls data that pointed to U.S. labor market resilience.
DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0145 China Caixin Services PMI July 0750 France S&P Global Serv PMI July 0750 France HCOB Composite PMI July 0755 Germany HCOB Services PMI July 0755 Germany HCOB Composite Final PMI July 0800 EU HCOB Services Final PMI July 0800 EU S&P Global Comp Final PMI July 0830 UK Composite PMI Final July 0830 UK Reserve Assets Total July 1100 UK BOE Bank Rate Aug 1100 US Bank of England to publish Monetary Policy Report 1230 US Initial Jobless Clm Weekly 1345 US S&P Global Serv, Comp Final PMIs July 1400 US ISM N-Mfg PMI July (Reporting by Naveen Thukral; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
