Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Monday, supported by tighter supplies of market-ready cattle that propped up cash prices last week, traders said. “In theory, the feedlots have a little more leverage, because there’s fewer cattle available for the packer to buy,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm, cash cattle supportive
Heavier slaughters weigh on hog futures
U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mostly lower as corn climbs
Technical buying supports lean hogs
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed mostly lower on Friday, pressured by rising corn prices that depressed feeder cattle futures, traders said. But firmer cash cattle prices this week underpinned the market. CME January feeder cattle futures fell 1.35 cents to end at 157.725 cents/lb., sagging as Chicago Board of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs, live cattle modestly lower
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended lower on Thursday, retreating near the close on technical selling and soft cash hog markets, traders said. The CME’s lean hog index, a two-day weighted average of cash hog prices, fell 0.51 cent, to 78.72 cents/lb. (all figures US$). CME December lean hogs settled […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME hog futures up on slaughter speed plan
December live cattle touch two-month high, end lower
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said it will allow nine pork processing plants to apply to operate faster line speeds under a pilot program. The announcement eased concerns that slower processing speeds had slowed meatpackers’ demand for pigs to slaughter, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: USDA lifts estimates for beef production, cattle prices
December live cattle up, lean hogs lower
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday raised its forecast for beef production and cattle prices in 2021 and 2022 due to strong demand and heavier livestock. Robust sales of U.S. beef to domestic consumers and overseas buyers have helped support Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures. USDA, in a monthly […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle at two-month high on strong beef demand
December hogs follow pork lower
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures reached a two-month high on Monday amid expectations for solid demand for beef, traders said. Gains in cash cattle prices last week helped support futures, traders said. Meat packers killed an estimated 121,000 cattle at U.S. slaughtering plants on Monday, unchanged from a week ago, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle end higher, lean hogs eases
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished higher on Friday and gained about 1 percent for the week, helped by solid export demand, traders said. Demand from China has been particularly strong, fueled by the appetites of a growing Chinese middle class and diplomatic tensions with rival supplier Australia. The U.S. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hogs climb on strong exports
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed to their highest in nearly two weeks on Thursday, supported by strong weekly export sales and tighter supplies of market-ready hogs, analysts said. “Hog numbers are still running below last year. If that continues to tighten up, I think that boosts the back months […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle firms on stronger cash, wholesale market
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures firmed on Wednesday, underpinned by stronger cash trade as packers pull more cattle forward, while wholesale beef prices added support, analysts said. “It does seem like the packers have picked up the production for cattle lately,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures slip amid export demand doubts
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures slipped on Tuesday, as uncertainty over Chinese pork demand continued and animal weights were expected to increase on cooling U.S. temperatures, analysts said. Meanwhile, Chicago’s cattle futures firmed a bit on Tuesday, amid steady slaughter rates and market expectations that cash prices should continue to […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
