(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures limit up on better cash sales

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures surged by their three cents/lb. daily price limit on Friday, boosted by investment fund buying and better-than-expected sales in cash cattle markets, traders and analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also climbed by their daily limit, of 4.5 cents/lb., tracking the higher prices in the more […] Read more



(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle buckle under big supply worries

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle prices on Wednesday felt pressure from softer wholesale beef prices and concerns about a looming supply buildup, traders said. Future’s steep discount to this week’s expected prices for slaughter-ready, or cash, cattle limited June market losses, they said. June live cattle closed down 0.625 cent/lb. at […] Read more



(Lisa Guenther photo)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, hogs end mostly firmer

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Most Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts closed firmer on Wednesday as investors digested initial prices for slaughter-ready, or cash, cattle while bracing for hefty supplies ahead, said traders. Market participants are also monitoring forecasts for a weekend snowstorm in the northern U.S. Plains that could disrupt livestock production in the […] Read more

(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Trade war jitters drag on CME hogs

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Wednesday hit a three-month low, partly rattled by talk of a potential trade war if the U.S. tacks higher tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, traders said. Wednesday’s U.S. stock market slumped as U.S. President Donald Trump appears poised to impose steep tariffs this […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder market grinds lower

Reading Time: 2 minutes Compared to last week, western Canadian feeder cattle prices traded $4-$6 lower; however, yearlings and heavier calves experienced a week-over-week decline of $4 to as much as $8 with significant weakness noted in the eastern Prairie regions. Finishing feedlots continue to sit on their hands. Order buyers were active on a scale-down basis and surprised […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cash price jitters drop CME live cattle

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures slid lower Monday, led by the prospect that packers might pay less for supplies later this week, said traders. December live cattle finished down 0.85 cent/lb. at 116.375 cents, and February ended 0.8 cent lower at 121.175 cents (all figures US$). Last week packers in […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures rise again on cash hopes

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures bounded to life-of-contract highs for the third straight session on Wednesday, rising on expectations that beef packers will continue paying higher prices in Plains cash markets, traders said. About 1,500 cattle sold at the weekly Fed Cattle Exchange online auction at $120/cwt, which was up from feedlot […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, hogs hit contract highs on fund buying

Reading Time: 2 minutes Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and lean hog futures rose to life-of-contract highs on Tuesday, lifted by investment fund buying linked to optimism that meat prices will continue to rise, traders said. Speculative investors who already were holding massive net long positions in cattle and hog futures added to those bets, […] Read more