Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures closed modestly lower on Tuesday, pressured by a surge in Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) corn futures that is likely to squeeze profit margins for livestock producers, traders said. “The rise in feed costs changes the dynamics in the industry. It cuts into profits — or in the […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures drift lower as corn prices soar
Wholesale beef prices show signs of stabilizing
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures end lower ahead of weekend
CME lean hogs mostly up
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures retreated on Friday in a profit-taking and technical selling setback ahead of the weekend amid weakening beef prices and concerns about lower-than-normal summer demand as much of the economy remains partially closed. Lean hog futures clawed back earlier losses to end mostly higher as an early drop […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle end mostly lower as beef prices ease
June hogs up, August lower
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed mostly lower on Thursday as wholesale beef prices began to retreat from historic highs as the U.S. slaughter pace improved, generating more meat supplies, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) August live cattle futures settled down 1.425 cents at 97 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Front-month June […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures dip after belly prices dive
Cattle down on ideas of beef prices peaking
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Wednesday on technical selling and signs that wholesale pork prices may have peaked after a massive run-up due to closings at meat-packing plants as COVID-19 sickened workers, traders said. The U.S. pork cutout value fell on Tuesday afternoon by nearly $9/cwt, to $112.82, with pork […] Read more
U.S. livestock: June live cattle limit up on soaring beef prices
Large supplies of hogs, cattle still loom over futures
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Tuesday, with nearby contracts rising the daily maximum, as surging wholesale beef prices and expectations U.S. beef and pork production would drop spurred speculative buying, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) June live cattle futures settled up 4.5 cents, the expanded daily limit, at […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cash cattle, futures up on beef packer scrutiny
Profit-taking continues to drag on lean hogs
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose on Friday along with cash prices as the federal government probed the beef market. The price of cattle in the cash market has rebounded since U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he had urged the federal Justice Department to look into allegations that the meatpacking […] Read more
USDA to probe surging beef prices versus falling cattle prices
Tyson says will co-operate with department's investigation
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Agriculture Department will investigate why a surge in beef prices because of coronavirus-related hoarding did not translate into higher cattle prices for farmers, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Wednesday. The investigation adds scrutiny on the small group of meat companies such as Tyson Foods and Cargill that dominate […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures drop as pandemic roils markets
Technical buying lifts hogs, feeder cattle
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures plunged to their daily trading limit on Monday — with prices for the front-month contract hitting the lowest seen since December 2009 — as beef inventories remain robust with much of the U.S. restaurant industry shuttered due to the pandemic. April live cattle were down the 4.5-cent […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit 17-1/2-year low
Cattle also sink as virus measures disrupt markets
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. hog futures fell on Friday to the lowest point since late 2002 on tumbling pork prices and slowing slaughter rates as measures to control the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic shuttered schools and restaurants and sent U.S. unemployment rates soaring. Cattle futures also dropped as wholesale beef and cash feedlot cattle prices […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures jump in end-of-month, -quarter rebound
Lean hog futures up in most months
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rallied by as much as the daily three-cent trading limit on Tuesday in an end-of-month and end-of-quarter profit-taking bounce following a steep drop fueled by concerns about the fast-spreading coronavirus and its economic impact. The recent dive in prices as governments imposed stay-at-home orders and restrictions on […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
