The latest Market Talks covering Commodities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

1521 ET - U.S. natural gas futures fall despite a weekly inventory build that came in below average at 30 Bcf and was broadly in line with market expectations. The size of the price pullback "is difficult to justify from the storage number alone," Gelber & Associates says in anote. "With the contract unable to hold above the psychologically important $3 threshold, profit-taking and technical selling have likely amplified the move." Nymex natural gas settles down 1.5% at $2.913/mmBtu after reaching a session high of $3.026/mmBtu. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1508 ET - Live cattle futures on the CME settled the day up 1.9% at $2.16195 a pound. Cattle appears to be attempting to stage a rally after sinking to its lowest level since last year. The path of least resistance at this point may not be to continue trading lower, says Joe Davis of Futures International. "Live cattle remain in a firm daily-chart downtrend, although the large discount to cash could limit additional downside," Davis says. Lean hogs settled the day lower, dropping 0.6% to 73.85 cents a pound. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1504 ET - Oil futures end the session little changed as the market sees the U.S.-Iran conflict going on for longer with this week's resumption of military strikes. "Iran is trying to constrain the Strait of Hormuz, and the U.S. is trying to open it," says Simon Wong, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds. "There's a dispute about how much oil is coming out, but I don't think Iran wants to let that card go because that's all the leverage they have at this point." WTI for October delivery rises 0.3%, to $91.30 a barrel, in a fourth consecutive gain. Front-month Brent for November delivery slips 0.1%, to $95.52 a barrel, snapping a three-session winning streak. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1433 ET - Gold futures rise for a second session as Treasury yields ease and the dollar weakens, with the market waiting to see Friday's August employment report and its implications for the Fed's mid-September meeting. Gold traders are also keeping a wary eye on events in the Middle East, where renewed fighting is pushing up oil prices, risking inflation pressures that could in turn lead to higher interest rates. Front-month gold settles up 2.9% in New York at $4,491.70 a troy ounce. Silver rises 3.5% to $66.973 a troy ounce. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1418 ET - Gold futures rise for a second session as Treasury yields ease and the dollar weakens, with the market waiting to see Friday's August employment report and its implications for the Fed's mid-September meeting. Gold traders are also keeping a wary eye on events in the Middle East, where renewed fighting is pushing up oil prices, risking inflation pressures that could in turn lead to higher interest rates. Front-month gold settles up 2.9% in New York at $4,491.70 a troy ounce. Silver rises 3.5% to $66.973 a troy ounce. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1314 ET - The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows that dry conditions out west are getting slightly less dire, but new dryness is developing in the southern delta states. Drought conditions in western plains states including Nebraska and South Dakota have eased, going from "extreme" drought to "severe" drought. Meanwhile, in southern delta states including Mississippi, Arkansas, and Alabama, dry conditions are getting worse--with Arkansas in particular blanketed with drought conditions ranging from abnormal dryness and extreme drought. CBOT grain futures are mixed in afternoon trading. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1310 ET - U.S. natural gas futures move lower after testing resistance around $3 per million British thermal units. Prices retreated following the EIA's weekly storage report showing inventories posting a third consecutive below-average build for last week, with the 30 Bcf injection landing in line with market expectations. "The failure to breach resistance against the backdrop of an 'as-expected' storage report seems to have sapped some of the market's bullish sentiment," Andy Huenefeld of Pinebrook Energy Advisors says in a note. Front-month Nymex gas is off 0.5% at $2.942/mmBtu after falling as low as $2.885. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1253 ET - Soybean futures on the CBOT rise 0.5% after starting the day in negative territory. One factor giving them support is the USDA's latest flash sales announcement on soybeans to China. The USDA says 192,000 metric tons were sold for delivery in the 2026/27 marketing year. It's the third straight day the USDA announced soybean flash sales to China, with 530,000 tons of soybeans sold over that time. This, combined with strong weekly sales reported by the USDA, is buoying soybean futures. "Soybeans saw a rush of mid-morning dip buyers due to demand support after facing profit-taking overnight and early in the daytime session," says Brian Grete of Commstock Investments. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1201 ET--Gold futures are higher with Treasury yields easing further and the dollar losing ground. "Lower U.S. Treasury yields and a weaker dollar are creating favorable conditions for gold, but this represents only a short-term improvement," XS.com market analyst Linh Tran says in a note. The near-term outlook will depend heavily on upcoming U.S. economic data, she adds. The recovery is expected to continue, although "the advance is unlikely to follow a straight line, particularly with several important U.S. employment and inflation reports approaching." Gold for December delivery rises 2.8% to $4,536.90 a troy ounce. Silver gains 3.2% to $67.54 a troy ounce. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1108 ET - U.S. natural gas inventories rose less than usual last week, reducing the storage surplus over the five-year average to 160 Bcf from 167 Bcf the week before, EIA data show. Underground stocks rose by 30 Bcf to 3,214 Bcf in the week ended Aug. 28, compared with an average 37 Bcf injection for the week over the 2021-2025 period. The storage deficit against the year-earlier level widened to 50 Bcf from 30 Bcf. Analysts in a WSJ survey had expected a 29 Bcf increase. Nymex natural gas is up 0.3% at $2.965/mmBtu.(anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1055 ET - Gains in CBOT grain futures over the past month have pushed crop prices up through the break-even levels often cited by U.S. farmers to make planted acres profitable. While this has noticeably shifted the sentiment of farmers to being more positive, analysts with the University of Missouri's Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute say that higher input costs remain a problem for farmer finances. "Crop returns, through a combination of continued soft crop prices and elevated production costs, remain under pressure," says FAPRI in a recent report. However, the average prices assumed in FAPRI's report are well-below where futures are trading at now. CBOT grain futures are currently down, with corn off 2.5%, soybeans down 0.7%, and wheat falls 4.6%.(kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1054 ET - Gains in CBOT grain futures over the past month have pushed crop prices up through the break-even levels often cited by U.S. farmers to make planted acres profitable. While this has noticeably shifted the sentiment of farmers to being more positive, analysts with the University of Missouri's Food & Agricultural Policy Research Institute say that higher input costs remain a problem for farmer finances. "Crop returns, through a combination of continued soft crop prices and elevated production costs, remain under pressure," says FAPRI in a recent report. However, the average prices assumed in FAPRI's report are well-below where futures are trading at now. CBOT grain futures are currently down, with corn off 2.5%, soybeans down 0.7%, and wheat falls 4.6%.