Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were once again quite volatile this past week as market continues to digest overwhelming fed cattle supplies and lacklustre beef demand. In Alberta, calves under 700 lbs. were steady to $5 lower on average while heavier calves and yearlings were $3 to as much as $10 lower. In the eastern […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle remain vulnerable
Klassen: Feeder cattle stabilize near annual lows
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $5 lower to $5 higher relative to week-ago levels. The market was quite variable across the Prairies, with eastern markets coming under more pressure comparable to southern Alberta. Feedlot operators and backgrounding farmers that were holding back on purchases earlier in the fall were stepping forward more aggressively this […] Read more
Klassen: Weaker fed cattle pressure feeder market
Reading Time: 2 minutes Alan Paton stated when men are ruled by fear, they strive to prevent the very changes that will abate it. The feeder cattle market is contending with a negative round of feeding margins over the next few months, which continues to result in weaker values. Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were generally $3 to $8 […] Read more
Klassen: Feedlots curb buying interest
Reading Time: 2 minutes Despair is the price one pays for setting an impossible aim. Given the phone calls over the past week, producers have been expecting something the market cannot offer. Western Canadian feeder cattle prices were under severe pressure, with 700-plus-pound cattle down $8-$12 from seven days earlier; calves under 700 lbs. traded $4-$8 below week-ago levels. […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder cattle prices stabilize
Reading Time: 2 minutes Western Canadian feeder cattle prices stabilized over the past week, trading $5 to $8 higher in comparison to seven days earlier. In Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan, calves traded up $10 to $15 higher largely due to a resumption in U.S. buying interest. The market was functioning to encourage demand, and with prices $25 to $30 […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Higher cash price outlook lifts CME live cattle
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained on Wednesday, supported by rising wholesale beef values that could help strengthen cash prices as early as Thursday, traders said. Spot October closed 1.325 cents/lb. higher at 133.75 cents, and December up 0.225 cent to 137.425 (all figures US$). Wednesday afternoon’s wholesale choice beef […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Bump in beef price extends CME live cattle gains
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle rose for a third straight session Thursday, helped by more short-covering following a morning jump in wholesale beef quotes, traders said. Spot October finished 1.825 cents/lb. higher at 131.175 cents, and December up 1.525 cents at 137.675 (all figures US$). Thursday morning’s wholesale choice beef price, […] Read more
Volatility prompts CME to raise live cattle margins
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — CME Group, the world’s largest livestock futures market operator, has raised margin rates for live cattle futures for the second week in a row after dramatic swings in the market, an exchange spokesman told Reuters on Thursday. Late on Wednesday the Chicago Mercantile Exchange raised its live cattle initial margins for […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Short-covering drives CME live cattle higher
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed higher on Wednesday, fuelled by active short-covering in anticipation of cash and wholesale beef prices bottoming out soon, traders said. Spot October finished 4.225 cents/lb. higher at 129.35 cents, and December up 2.925 cents at 136.15 (all figures US$). “So many of these holders of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle limit up on beef bounce
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle finished up their three-cent-per-pound daily price limit on Tuesday, driven by short-covering and bargain hunting following the spike in wholesale beef prices, traders said. Spot October and December finished at 125.125 and 133.225 cents, respectively (all figures US$). Live cattle’s trading limit will be expanded to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
