Early call on Chicago, and tonight's close

Corn futures are expected to open steady to 1 3/4 higher; soybeans 2 to 5 higher; wheat mixed. It was another fairly slow trading session on the overnight market but mostly on the plus side. Traders are looking for direction but may not get much ahead of tomorrow's USDA stocks data.

Septic Peg, my spirit guide from beyond the grave, who did reasonably well with her forecasts Friday, including a respectable third in the Grand National (available at 28/1 at the time), tells me that she sees the market drifting lower as the session wears on. Traders will be keen to lighten the load a little ahead of tomorrows report, she says.

Peg is predicting beans ending the day 7-10c lower, corn 3-5c lower and wheat 5c easier.