Soy, corn barge bids ease; barge freight firms on nearby demand

Spot basis bids for corn and soybeans shipped by barge to U.S. Gulf export terminals eased on Friday as river freight costs increased, traders said.

* Spot barge freight rates on Midwest rivers firmed 25 to 50 points on Friday on strengthening demand for near term barges.

* CIF soybean barges loaded in November were bid steady at 150 cents over Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) January futures (SF3). December barge bids eased by 2 cents to 140 cents over futures.

* Export premiums for soybeans shipped in the first half of December were steady at around 190 cents over futures, while last-half December offers held at around 180 cents over futures.

* CIF corn barges loaded in November were bid 6 cents lower at 125 cents over CBOT December futures (CZ2). December barges traded at 120 cents over futures.

* Corn export premiums for early December loadings were steady at 160 cents over December futures. Late-December export premiums were even at 145 cents over futures.

* U.S. exporters sold 2.48 million tonnes of corn during the week ended November 17, within analyst expectations.

* Exporters also sold 700,100 tonnes of soybeans and 511,800 tonnes of wheat, both within trade expectations.