SYDNEY  - U.S. soybeans fell 1 percent on Monday as heightened trade tensions between the United States and China depressed prices.        

FUNDAMENTALS 

The most active soybean futures on the Chicago Board Of Trade were down 1 percent at $8.86 a bushel by 0054 GMT, having firmed 1.6 percent on Friday.

The most active corn futures were down 0.9 percent to $3.54 a bushel, having closed little changed in the previous session.

The most active wheat futures were down 1.7 percent at $4.95-1/2 a bushel, having closed down 0.5 percent on Friday.

The grain and soybean complex came under pressure amid escalating trade tensions between the United States and China.

The U.S. Treasury Department is crafting rules that would block firms with at least 25 percent Chinese ownership from buying U.S. companies involved in "industrially significant technology," the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

U.S. soybean and corn crops have generally benefited from wet and warm growing conditions so far, further pressuring prices. But now some analysts are considering whether the ground is too wet in some areas.        

MARKET NEWS 

The buoyant euro kept the dollar from hitting an 11-month high on Monday, with trade issues between the United States and the European Union seen deciding the near-term direction for the currencies. 

Oil edged lower in volatile trading on Friday, posting a second consecutive weekly loss as caution about Europe's debt crisis and year-end positioning continued to spark selling into rallies. 

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)

© Reuters News 2018