CME December 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle slide on concerns over beef demand

Chicago December lean hogs settle higher

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures dropped to their lowest level in more than a week at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Monday on concerns about the risk for easing demand for U.S. beef. Feeder cattle futures also declined, while lean hog futures ended higher. Lower-than-expected cash cattle prices last week contributed to uncertainty […] Read more

CME December 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hog, cattle futures down on profit-taking

Cash hog values seen softer

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures closed lower on Friday, retreating on a round of profit-taking after the benchmark December contract rose to its highest level in a month. Soft cash hog values, weaker wholesale pork prices and a large weekly hog slaughter added to bearish sentiment. “We’ve had a pretty […] Read more


CME January 2024 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle, hogs soar as U.S. Fed piques investors’ risk appetite

Beef, pork export sales above four-week average

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle and hog futures rose on Thursday following broad strength in Wall Street equities, crude oil and other commodities, as investors’ risk appetite increased a day after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept benchmark interest rates on hold. “The emphasis is really from the ‘risk-on’ macro play, driven […] Read more

CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle firm on cash market optimism

Lean hog futures end lower

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures closed modestly higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark December contract extending its rebound from a four-month low set last week, buoyed by technical buying and expectations of rising cash cattle prices. Sellers in the Kansas and Texas cash markets were offering slaughter-ready cattle as […] Read more


CME December 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle rise on hopes for cash prices

Hogs also higher; livestock futures down on month

Reading Time: < 1 minute Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange livestock futures crept higher on Tuesday as the cattle markets continued to rebound from multi-month lows reached last week. Expectations for higher cash prices this week and beyond helped to underpin futures, analysts said. Cash prices improved on Friday, compared to the middle of last week. CME October […] Read more

CME December 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle recover off recent slide, eye cash prices

Lean hogs also align with cash prices

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures topped a one-week high on Monday as the market recovered from steep losses last week. Firm prices in the cash market on Friday supported the rebound in futures, brokers said. CME December live cattle futures ended up 1.025 cents at 183.25 cents/lb. (all figures US$). […] Read more


CME January 2024 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle recover off May-level low

Live cattle, lean hogs also higher

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures fell to their lowest level since May on Friday before ending higher, while live cattle recovered from June lows reached earlier this week. Strength in the cash market helped boost futures, traders said. Reports of meatpackers paying $185/cwt in Texas and $186/cwt in Nebraska represented […] Read more

CME January 2024 feeder cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle sag on packer margins, beef export sales

December lean hogs turn slightly lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures eased and feeder cattle tumbled to June lows at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Thursday as poor margins for U.S. beef processors limited demand for livestock, brokers said. A marketing-year low in weekly U.S. beef export sales also hung over the market. Meat companies are grappling with tight […] Read more


CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages and June 2024 live cattle (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed as packer margins stay in red

December lean hogs up off Tuesday's contract low; deferred months lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures were mixed on Wednesday, as beef packer margins stayed in the red and cash cattle prices were expected to be steady to higher, traders said. Hog futures were also mixed on the day. February and May lean hog futures dipped to new contract lows on sluggish […] Read more

CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures rise on supply concerns

Chicago lean hogs slump

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed on Tuesday, amid ongoing concern over animal weights shrinking and a steady stream of heifers being sent to slaughter, traders said. Rising cash cattle prices also gave the beef market a boost on the day, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said meat processors […] Read more