Grains Pause Ahead of Jobs Report as US Envoys Visit Russia and Ukraine

Grain futures markets are holding steady ahead of the Labor Day weekend and Friday's jobs report. December corn is down 0.5 cents, while November soybeans have dropped by 1.25 cents. The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will remain above average for September across most areas east of the Rockies into the holiday weekend.

The U.S. economy is expected to have added 56,000 jobs in August, marking a modest rebound after July's decline. The private sector is forecast to account for 45,000 of those gains, while the unemployment rate remains at 4.1%.

U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are heading to Moscow and Kyiv this weekend to discuss peace negotiations. They will first travel to Moscow before visiting Kyiv, where they are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.