Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures rose on bargain buying on Wednesday, traders said, though U.S. pig slaughtering sank to its lowest level since August as rising cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant hit meat plants. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures slumped as traders remain concerned that the highly contagious […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hog slaughter hits five-month low on Omicron spread
CME hogs up, cattle down
U.S. grains: Wheat futures fall on bigger-than-expected plantings, stocks
Winter wheat plantings exceed analysts' expectations; USDA also cuts corn, soybean crop estimates in South America
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures extended losses on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected that domestic farmers planted more acres than traders anticipated. Larger-than-expected USDA estimates for wheat inventories added pressure on the market, analysts said, after supply concerns drove Chicago Board of Trade futures prices to nine-year highs in November. […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures end higher in short-covering bounce
Hogs extend slide
Reading Time: 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Tuesday, on a technical bounce a day after falling to three-week lows, with optimism about a slight improvement in the U.S. slaughter pace lending support, traders said. But worries about slowdowns at packing plants due to worker shortages continued to hang over […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat up on export business
Corn, soy firm ahead of USDA data
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat futures rose about one per cent on Tuesday on a pickup in global export business and short-covering ahead of several key U.S. Department of Agriculture reports due on Wednesday, traders said. Corn and soybean futures edged higher ahead of the reports, which will include updated estimates of U.S. 2021 […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs sag on Wall Street woes, worker shortages
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog and live cattle futures closed lower on Monday, pressured by declines on Wall Street along with slowdowns at slaughterhouses due to worker shortages, traders said. CME February live cattle futures settled down 1.075 cents at 136.25 cents/lb., while March feeder cattle futures ended down 1.325 cents […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soy, corn sag on South American weather outlooks
Wheat firms
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean and corn futures fell on Monday on forecasts calling for much-needed rains in dry areas of South America, along with long liquidation ahead of several key U.S. government reports due at mid-week, analysts said. Wheat futures firmed on short-covering and the unwinding of inter-market spreads. Chicago Board of Trade […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans rally, following soymeal gains
Wheat capped by big Argentina, Australia crops
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago soybean futures rallied on Friday, supported by soymeal demand and weather issues in South America. Corn followed higher, although crops in Argentina and Brazil are likely less impacted by drought in the region as they have more time to benefit from rainfall expected later this month. Wheat rebounded from a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, lean hogs fall on weaker slaughter
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and lean hog futures fell on Friday as sluggish slaughter rates continue to drag on prices, traders said. “They’re both facing the same fundamental music – this slaughter disruption due to weather, labour tightness and COVID,” said Dennis Smith, commodity broker at Archer Financial. CME February […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans ease after weather rally
Corn firms, wheat slips to nearly three-month low
Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures dipped on Thursday as broad selling in financial markets countered weather concerns in South America that had pushed prices to a five-month high. Corn ended just above even, paring losses as private estimates of South American crops fell further due to hot, dry conditions in the region. Wheat […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures firm
Cash cattle prices provide support; lean hogs also firm with cash index
Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures moved higher on Thursday, supported by cash cattle prices in the northern U.S. Plains, analysts said. “We’ve been under some pressure recently, but the cash trade was still at $138 to $140,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock Capital Management (all figures US$). “That’s […] Read more