USDA reported several private export sales of 435,000 metric tons of soybeans during the reporting period to unknown destinations. This included 360,000 metric tons for 2025/26 and 75,000 metric tons for 2026/27. In addition, there were extra sales of 110,000 metric tons to unknown destinations and 204,000 metric tons to China.

According to USDA Export Sales data, total soybean sales for the 2025/26 marketing year reached 2.06 million metric tons in the week ending January 8, exceeding estimates. This was the third-largest weekly sale of the marketing year, the highest in four weeks, and more than four times higher than the same week last year. China was the top buyer with 1.224 million metric tons, followed by Egypt with 273,200 metric tons and Mexico with 191,000 metric tons. Sales for 2026/27 totaled 10,000 metric tons.

Soybean meal sales were reported at 340,579 metric tons, near the upper end of the 150,000–400,000 metric ton estimates. Soybean oil sales totaled 14,113 metric tons, within the mid-range of trade expectations of 0–26,000 metric tons.

According to NOPA data, member crushers processed 224.991 million bushels of soybeans in December, slightly above trade estimates. This was 8.9 percent higher than December 2023 and 4.14 percent higher than November. Soybean oil stocks increased 8.5 percent from the end of November and were up 32.8 percent year-on-year to 1.642 billion pounds.

According to a Reuters report, the EPA is expected to finalize the RVOs for 2026 by early March, with biodiesel volumes projected in the range of 5.2 to 5.6 billion gallons, below the 5.61 billion gallons proposed in June. The agency is also expected to remove language that penalizes imported feedstocks by assigning them only half of RIN values.

According to CONAB, Brazil’s soybean production is estimated at 176.12 million metric tons, which is 1 million metric ton lower than the December estimate. In contrast, AgroConsult raised its estimate by 4.1 million metric tons to 182.2 million metric tons.