On Tuesday, CBOT soybean futures closed moderately higher, driven mainly by two factors. First, NOPA reported August soybean crush at 205.456 million bushels, down 5.2% month on month and the lowest in 11 months, and below analysts' expectations of 211.553 million bushels. The weaker-than-expected crush data was instead interpreted by the market as a signal of potentially tightening soybean meal supply, pushing soybean meal futures up 2.58% in tandem. Second, continued tensions in the Middle East drove international crude oil futures sharply higher, providing external support to the soybean and soybean oil markets. In addition, expectations of slower growth in forward South American supply provided additional support to U.S. soybeans. Overall, the bullish NOPA crush data and stronger crude oil formed a resonance, but the bumper-crop outlook established by the USDA report still caps the upside.