SINGAPORE, April 15 (Reuters) - Chicago corn futures gained more ground on Thursday to trade near the previous session's eight-year top, as concerns over cold weather damage to the crop across the U.S. grain belt underpinned prices.

Wheat edged lower after Wednesday's rally which lifted the market to its highest in more than a month, while soybeans extended gains.

FUNDAMENTALS

* The most-active corn contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) rose 0.4% to $5.96-1/4 a bushel, as of 0026 GMT, not far from the previous session's highest since June 2013 at $5.98 a bushel.

* Soybeans added 0.3% to $14.14-1/4 a bushel, while wheat lost 0.1% to $6.47-1/4 a bushel, after climbing to its highest since March 11 at $6.56 a bushel on Wednesday.

* Cold surge next week poses risk of damage to wheat crop in the southern U.S. Plains. In the Midwest, the weather is threatening the newly plated corn.

* The cold weather also could cause some growers to delay their planting of corn and soybeans.

* Experts are also predicting a dry spell in coming weeks on the European continent.

* It is too early to estimate the impact on grain crops from a severe frost that has hit France, but there is some concern over damage in the central and southern parts of the country, farm office FranceAgriMer said on Wednesday.

* Temperatures have fallen well below zero for several nights in a row in many parts of France, the EU's top grain producer, causing major damage to vineyards, orchards and sugar beet and prompting the government to promise financial aid.

* Commodity funds were net buyers of CBOT corn, soybean, wheat, soymeal and soyoil futures contracts on Wednesday, traders said.

MARKET NEWS

* Major global stock indexes scaled new peaks on Wednesday before shedding gains that anticipated a strong recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, while the dollar dipped to three-week lows as Treasury yields held below recent highs.

DATA/EVENTS (GMT) 0130 Australia Employment March 0130 Australia Unemployment Rate March 0600 Germany HICP Final YY March 0645 France CPI (EU Norm) Final MM, YY March 1000 EU Reserve Assets Total March 1230 US Initial Jobless Clm Weekly 1230 US Philly Fed Business Indx April 1230 US Retail Sales MM March 1315 US Industrial Production MM March (Reporting by Naveen Thukral; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)