CIF/FOB Gulf Grain-Soy, corn barge bids firm as river conditions chill

CHICAGO, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Spot basis bids for soybeans shipped by barge to the U.S. Gulf Coast were steady to firmer on Friday as icy river conditions and frigid weather continued to slow navigation, traders said.

* Corn barge bids also were steady to higher, traders said.

* Ice on Midwest rivers amid harsh cold has slowed barge movement and lock operations, and forecasts for bitterly cold temperatures are expected to cause ice flow problems going into next week.

* Basis bids for soybeans and corn were flat to lower at elevators, river terminals and processors in the U.S. Midwest on Friday after another busy day of farmer sales to close out the week, according to dealers.

* U.S. corn futures climbed 2% to a fresh one-year high on Friday and soybeans rose about 1.6% ahead of a long holiday weekend, lifted by Argentine weather worries and cautious optimism about U.S.-China trade relations, analysts said.

* Corn and soybean futures hit session highs after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he discussed trade, fentanyl and Tiktok with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a phone call.

* Demand for soybeans from most private Chinese importers remained light due to soft crush margins and uncertainty around Trump's tariff threats and likely trade retaliation.

* CIF Gulf soybean barges loaded in January were bid up 2 cents higher at 73 cents over CBOT March soybean SH25 futures. January barge loadings traded at 73 cents over March futures.

* FOB export premiums for February loadings were unchanged at 87 cents over March futures.

* CIF January corn barges were bid up 1 cent at about 68 cents over CBOT March corn CH25 futures. March corn barges loaded in March traded at 69 cents over futures.

* FOB offers for corn shipped from the Gulf in January held at 79 cents over March futures.

(Reporting by P.J. Huffstutter; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)

((pj.huffstutter@thomsonreuters.com; 313-484-5275 (w);))

For displays of CIF basis, click on the codes in brackets:
U.S. CIF Gulf soybeans GRYM
U.S. CIF Gulf corn GRYN
U.S. CIF Gulf SRW wheat GRYO
U.S. CIF Gulf HRW wheat GRYP
For displays of FOB basis, please click on the following codes in brackets:
U.S. FOB Gulf corn GRZC
U.S. FOB Gulf soybeans GRZD
U.S. FOB Gulf SRW wheat GRZE
U.S. FOB Gulf HRW wheat GRZF

LINKS Corn prices page:   cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageid=corn-cash-market
Wheat prices page:  cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageid=wheat-cash-market
U.S. barge freight                  BG/US
U.S. export sales estimates         USDA/EST
U.S. grain export summary           GRA/U
Brazil soybean export prices        SYBS
Brazil corn export prices           SYBX
Argentina grain prices              GRA/ARG
Russia grain prices                 GRA/RU