Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed on Friday as daily processing levels began to rebound, a sign that COVID-related staffing woes may be easing, traders said. Meatpackers have struggled with staffing shortages due to the surge in Omicron coronavirus infections, traders said, limiting production in recent weeks. Beef processors slaughtered an […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures up with daily slaughter levels
Hogs up on technical buying, cash prices

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures drop on profit-taking; lean hogs fall
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell on Thursday on profit-taking after a previous session rally resulted in several contracts hitting new highs, traders said. CME February live cattle settled down 0.750 cent at 139.975 cents per pound. Feeder cattle futures, which were supported by a slump in Chicago corn futures, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn futures slide as Brazilian harvest begins
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago soybean futures fell sharply on Thursday, as the harvest of a near-record crop started in top grain exporter Brazil and more rain fell in dry stretches of Parana than expected, traders said. Corn futures dropped for a second session on some profit-taking, even with news of better-than-expected export demand. Wheat […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME livestock futures rise on supply concerns
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures climbed on Wednesday, as cash cattle prices firmed on concerns around meat supplies to meet anticipated demand going into next year, traders said. Cattle futures ended higher, as beef carcass cutout prices continued to firm and cash cattle traded higher, traders said. Cash cattle traded at […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soy, corn futures rise on South American weather questions
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago soybean futures edge up on Wednesday, as concern adverse weather will curb production in top exporter Brazil kept prices close to their highest since August. Corn futures rose on technical trading, as the market closely watches if weather woes in Argentina will impact the country’s corn crop. And wheat futures […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybean, corn slides on profit-taking amid South American weather woes
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago soybean futures fell on profit-taking on Tuesday, as uncertainty over weather forecasts in South America continued to spark questions over global supplies, traders said. Wheat prices fell sharply, extending losses from the previous session, as investors began to jockey their positions ahead of the year-end. And corn futures slipped, as […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise on expectations of beef demand; hogs ease
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures finished higher on Tuesday, as slaughter rates increased and carcass cutout values continued to firm, traders said. There is an expectation of beef prices continuing to firm and demand be strong going into the first quarter of 2022, said Doug Houghton, analyst with Brock Capital Management. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures touch four-week high
Chicago cattle futures ease
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures rose for the fourth straight trading session on Monday, as the market continued to see support from a government report last week that showed smaller-than-expected national inventory numbers, traders said. Most-active February hog futures settled the day up 0.425 cent at 83.65 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Earlier in […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn extend rally
Dry South American weather stokes worries on crops; wheat prices move on technical trading
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybeans and corn extended gains on Monday to hit multi-month highs as dry and hot weather in South America stoked supply worries. Wheat rose early in the session, bolstered by hopes for greater export demand, but ended the day down on technical trading. Dealers said many market participants were still […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat slide continues in volatile week
Soybeans rise, corn up on support from crude oil prices
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures slid once again on Friday, after a volatile week in which prices plunged on investor fears about the economic impact of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, traders said. Wheat prices had steadied early in the day’s session but then started falling again on news that U.S. employment growth […] Read more