CBOT soybean futures for the front-month contract closed higher as market participants expect improved U.S. soybean export prospects. Traders are also monitoring weather conditions in drought-stricken U.S. wheat-growing areas. Rainfall this week failed to benefit some of the most arid regions and may have arrived too late or been insufficient to prevent crop damage. Expectations of stronger U.S. soybean exports, cool temperatures in the U.S. Midwest delaying planting progress, along with a modest recovery in commodity sentiment driven by Middle East tensions, all supported prices. In South America, Anec expects Brazil's May soybean exports to reach 14.53 million metric tons, compared to 14.18 million tons in the same period last year. Data from Secex shows that Brazil exported 16.7467 million tons of soybeans in April, an increase of 10% year-on-year.