CME March 2021 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures fall as corn rises

U.S. beef, pork export sales both up on week

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — CME feeder cattle futures fell on Thursday, retreating back toward a three-month low on prospects for increased input costs for livestock operators due to surging corn prices. “It is the rising feed costs,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing + Management. “With the corn being up another 10 cents today, […] Read more

CME February 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 30- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog, live cattle futures mixed on feed cost concerns

Bargain buying lifts March feeders

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Nearby U.S. hog and live cattle futures weakened on Wednesday, weighed down by prospects for rising feed costs due to higher prices for corn, soybeans and wheat. But the livestock futures market was strong for many deferred contracts as traders expressed concerns about supplies tightening by the end of the year. […] Read more


CME February 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures rise as corn surge seen squeezing supply

Cash prices pressure nearby live cattle futures

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures firmed Tuesday on higher cash hog prices and improving pork packer margins and as soaring feed costs stoked concerns about tighter hog supplies. Corn futures prices surged more than five per cent on Tuesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) slashed its 2020 harvest estimate, with […] Read more

CME February 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle sink on profit-taking, technical selling

Lean hogs, feeder cattle mixed

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures fell on Monday in a profit-taking and technical-selling setback amid concerns about weaker demand for cattle and beef, traders said. Position rolling by funds, as they closed out long positions in the spot month and bought deferred contracts on the second day of the five-session “Goldman roll” period, […] Read more


CME February 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures drift lower on technical selling

Back months in hogs, cattle draw speculators' interest

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures closed lower on Friday on light technical selling, with the spot February contract pressured as speculators rolled long positions into forward months, traders said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) February live cattle futures settled down 0.5 cent at 114.475 cents/lb. (all figures US$). Friday was the first day of […] Read more

CME March 2021 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle end mixed, feeders firm

Cattle take cues from pause in corn rally

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. cattle futures closed narrowly mixed on Thursday with the spot February contract drifting lower in rangebound trade, awaiting direction from cash markets, while back months firmed on optimism about the U.S. economy, traders said. Feeder cattle futures rose as prices for corn, the main feed grain for cattle, retreated from […] Read more


CME February 2021 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs trim as packers work through holiday backlogs

CME cattle futures pressured lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Wednesday as packers work through backlogs caused by holiday shutdowns, analysts said. Daily hog slaughter regained from holiday pace, with 495,000 head processed compared to 472,000 head the week prior, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data, but was still short of prior year pace. […] Read more

CME February 2021 live cattle with Bollinger (20,2) bands. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle rally on fund-driven buying

CME lean hogs end narrowly mixed

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures rose two per cent on Tuesday, bouncing back from a sell-off a day earlier, lifted by speculative buying and broad strength in commodities as investors seek a hedge against inflation, analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) February live cattle futures settled up 2.75 cents at 115.05 cents/lb. […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle prices digesting uncertainty

Defensive tone likely through January

Reading Time: 2 minutes The feeder cattle market was very quiet during the last week of December with auction barns in holiday mode. There were discussions regarding direct sales but no actual business was confirmed. The stakes are too high given the market uncertainty; a defensive tone will likely continue throughout January. Feed grains continue to percolate higher; the […] Read more

CME February 2021 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle sag as Wall Street retreats, grain prices rise

Wholesale ham prices supportive for hogs

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures fell more than two per cent on Monday, pressured by ample beef supplies and fund-driven selling as Wall Street equities declined, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures fell even harder, dropping by three per cent as U.S. corn futures rose to almost $5 a bushel for the first […] Read more