CBOT Trends - Wheat up 7-10 cents, corn up 4-8 cents, soy steady-down 3 cents

CHICAGO, April 8 (Reuters) - Following are U.S. trade expectations for the opening of grain and soy complex trading at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) at 8:30 a.m. CDT (1330 GMT) on Thursday.

WHEAT - Up 7 to 10 cents

* Wheat firming on strength in spring wheat contracts, stemming from concerns about dry conditions in the northern U.S. Plains.

* The U.S. Agriculture Department said weekly export sales of wheat totaled 611,900 tonnes. Trade estimates ranged from 150,000 to 700,000 tonnes.

* Benchmark CBOT May soft red winter wheat rose above its 20-day moving average for the first time since March 9 during overnight trading. But the contract finished the session below that key technical point.

* CBOT May soft red winter wheat was last up 7-3/4 cents at $6.24 per bushel. K.C. May hard red winter wheat was last up 9-3/4 cents at $5.73. MGEX May spring wheat was last up 11 cents at $6.35-1/2.

CORN - Up 4 to 8 cents

* Corn futures hit one-week high overnight, following strength in wheat.

* Technical resistance noted for CBOT May corn at the high end of its 20-day Bollinger range.

* Corn export sales totaled 807,000 tonnes, in line with market forecasts for 550,000 tonnes to 1.2 million tonnes.

* CBOT May corn last traded 6-3/4 cents higher at $5.67-1/4 per bushel.

SOYBEANS - Steady to down 3 cents per bushel

* Soybeans easing after Brazil's Conab raised its estimate for the country's soybean harvest to 135.540 million tonnes.

* USDA said weekly export sales of soybeans were 246,200 tonnes, near the low end of market forecasts that ranged from 100,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes.

* CBOT May soybeans were last down 1 cent at $14.07-3/4 per bushel. (Reporting by Mark Weinraub; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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