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

0259 GMT - Palm oil rises on bargain hunting. The strong ongoing El Nino could tighten the global palm oil balance in 2027, although elevated Malaysian inventories may weigh on CPO prices in the near term, CIMB Securities analyst Ivy Ng Lee Fang says in a note. Indonesia's B50 biodiesel mandate could boost palm oil demand, supporting CPO prices, she adds. The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for December delivery is up 86 ringgit at 4,610 ringgit a ton.(yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

0219 GMT - Copper gains in Asian trading. Reported strike action in Chile is threatening to disrupt supplies of the base metal, ANZ Research says in a note. Output from the Centinela mine will likely be hit within two weeks if the workers' strike continues, ANZ analysts say. "The renewed supply risks add to a market already fretting over shortages triggered by concerns over U.S. stockpiling in anticipation of a levy on imports," they write. The three-month copper futures contract on the London Metal Exchange rises 1.1% to $14,633.50 a metric ton, ICE data show. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)

0027 GMT - Gold slips in early Asian trade. Higher bond yields and a stronger dollar are likely weighing on investor demand for the precious metal, say ANZ Research analysts in a note. A higher interest-rate environment typically diminishes the allure of the non-interest-yielding yellow metal. Still, any losses are likely to be partially offset by strong central-bank buying, the analysts add, noting that the People's Bank of China--among the world's biggest gold buyers--expanded its reserves in September. Spot gold is down 0.2% at $4,106.75 an ounce. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)

2143 GMT - Macmahon Holdings's latest M&A foray represents the beginning of the mining services company's third pillar, according to Jefferies. Macmahon is acquiring Aspect Engineering for an enterprise value of up to A$90 million. Analyst John Campbell says the deal extends Macmahon's service offering across the resources value chain. In the process, it will help Macmachon with customer retention and improve its profit margins, Jefferies adds. "Ultimately, this acquisition is all about revenue synergies, not costs," Jefferies says. It views an enterprise value-to-Ebita multiple of 5x as highly appealing. Jefferies's price target rises 6.5% to A$1.15/share and it retains a hold call on Macmahon's stock. Macmahon ended Wednesday at A$1.115. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

2028 GMT - Oil futures give up early gains and settle lower as the market remains optimistic about crude flows out of the Middle East, although continuing conflict in the region limits pullbacks. WTI fell 1.3% to $88.28 a barrel despite an unexpected 3.2 million barrel weekly inventory draw reported by the EIA and production being shut in as Tropical Storm Isaias is seen reaching the U.S. Gulf coast as a hurricane on Friday. The U.S. Marine Minerals Administration said 511,619 barrels a day, or 25% of current Gulf production, had been shut in as of midday Wednesday. Brent crude settles down 0.4% at $100.20 a barrel. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1933 GMT - U.S. natural gas futures settle higher for a fourth straight session as cooler weather forecasts favor early-season heating demand, which could limit storage builds for the remainder of the injection season. The EIA on Thursday is expected to report a 79 Bcf inventory build for last week, according to a WSJ survey of analysts. That would reduce the storage surplus over the five-year average for an eighth consecutive week. "After cooler trends the past few days, it's likely there won't be a [weekly] build over 100 Bcf this shoulder season," NatGasWeather.com says in a note. The market is also watching Tropical Storm Isaias that's expected to reach the U.S. Gulf coast Friday as a hurricane. The storm could affect offshore production and LNG operations, but "impacts from cooler temperatures and rain won't be as notable as they would be in July through mid-September when a tropical system would bring relief from heat," NatGasWeather.com adds. Nymex natural gas settles up 2.9% at $3.2030/mmBtu. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1921 GMT - Live cattle futures on the CME inched lower, falling 0.2% to $2.237 a pound. The slight decrease came as traders found the market directionless. "Cattle markets are pulling back from yesterday's price surge as traders await direction from the cash fat cattle market," says Brian Grete of Commstock Investments. A stronger U.S. dollar put pressure on commodities as a whole throughout the day, including agriculture and livestock futures. Lean hog futures settled 1.9% lower at 69.075 cents a pound. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1758 GMT - Gold futures post their third decline in four sessions as the U.S. dollar gains and buoyant U.S. yields keep a lid on demand for the metal with the market looking to the Fed minutes for interest-rate guidance. Earlier gains in oil prices had put pressure on precious metals, given the inflationary implications of higher energy costs. Front-month gold settles down 1.1% in New York at $4,113.80 a troy ounce and silver falls 2.1% to $59.899 a troy ounce. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1716 GMT - U.S. benchmark crude slips after the EIA reported a 3.2 million barrel withdrawal in commercial crude oil stocks for last week, despite expectations for a third consecutive weekly build. Product inventories were mixed with gasoline stocks up by 382,000 barrels and distillate stocks down by 42,000 barrels. "Oil stockpiles remain tight but the crunch isn't clearly getting worse," says David Russell of TradeStation. The inventory drop was the result of an adjustment "so it may overstate the magnitude of the draw," he adds. WTI is off 0.7% at $88.79 a barrel and Brent is up 0.2% at $100.75 a barrel. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1645 GMT - New record-highs for Treasury yields and their influence on a stronger U.S. dollar are a pressure point for commodities as a whole, says Brian Pullam of Linn & Associates. "Usually when we see this type of trade, wheat gets the brunt of the selling in grains," says Pullam. The most-active wheat contract falls 2.3% while corn slides 1.1% and soybeans drop 0.7%. The Federal Reserve will release the minutes from its last meeting at 2 p.m. ET, with investors watching for more details on the Fed's approach to managing inflation and whether more rate hikes are on the way. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1613 GMT - Gold futures are lower as the U.S. dollar gains and the market looks to minutes of the Fed's latest meeting to gauge prospects for interest rates. "A more hawkish reading, showing persistent concern over inflation and limited appetite for easier monetary policy, could lift Treasury yields and the U.S. dollar, increasing the opportunity cost of holding non-yielding gold and creating near-term downside pressure," Naeem Aslam, chief investment officer at Zaye Capital Markets says in a note. A more dovish interpretation "could pull real yields lower and strengthen demand for bullion." Gold for December delivery is down 1.3% in New York at $4,132.20 a troy ounce. Silver is off 2.3% at $60.16 a troy ounce. (anthony.harrup@wsj.com)

1611 GMT - Export sales of U.S. corn have the potential to sharply increase versus the prior week, according to analysts surveyed by The Wall Street Journal. Analysts forecast that corn export sales for the week ended Oct. 1 could be as high as 1.7 million metric tons. That would be more than double of the 536,000 tons sold last week, according to USDA data. Trading of corn futures today has been anchored by data from last week's stocks report from the USDA, which showed more corn inventories than expected by the market. "Last week's bearish stocks report is keeping a lid on prices for now," says Naomi Blohm of Total Farm Marketing in a note. Most-active CBOT corn futures fall 1%.