Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished lower for a fourth straight session on Wednesday as they marked new lows, hit by softer initial cash prices, traders said. October closed 0.75 cent per pound lower at 96.75 cents, and made a new low of 95.675 cents (all figures US$). December finished […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Weak cash prices extend live cattle losses

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle slump limit down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Monday settled down by their three cents/lb. daily price limit, on sell stops and fund liquidation after some contracts fell beneath chart support levels, said traders. October and December were down three cents/lb. at 98.875 and 100.05 cents, respectively (all figures US$). December futures […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle close weak
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished weaker on Friday on weekend positioning after traders sold nearby contracts and bought deferred months in a strategy known as bear spreading, said traders. October ended down 0.55 cent/lb. lower at 101.875 cents, and December down 0.05 cent, to 103.05 cents. “I think that […] Read more

Smithfield to shutter major hog plant against Matthew
Chicago | Reuters — Smithfield Foods will shutter its hog processing facility, the world’s largest, on Saturday to protect employees in North Carolina from Hurricane Matthew, industry sources said on Friday, as farmers braced for the storm’s potential lashing. Matthew has fueled concerns about the safety of livestock and farm workers along the coast from […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs rebound on bargain buying
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hogs closed higher on Thursday on short-covering and bargain buying after futures tumbled to a seven-year low on Wednesday, traders said. CME October lean hogs, which will expire on Oct. 14, led advances due to a discount to the exchange’s hog index for Sept. 4 at 54.85 […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Burdensome supplies slam lean hog futures
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell sharply on Wednesday, with some contracts posting new lows, led by profit-taking and seasonally rising hog numbers, traders said. Cooler fall temperatures in the Midwest and highly-nutritious new-crop corn are causing pigs to grow faster. The U.S. Department of Agriculture data on Wednesday showed […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle post biggest daily percentage gain in a year
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures surged about three per cent on Tuesday to their best one-day performance since October 2015, sparked by short-covering and technical buying, said traders. Prior to Tuesday’s open, CME live cattle contracts displayed a Relative Strength Index (RSI) of 27. A RSI below 30 suggests a […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Bargain buying rallies CME lean hogs
Chicago | Reuters — Most Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog contracts ended sharply higher on Monday, fueled by bargain buying following futures’ plunge by their three-cent/lb. price limit on Friday, said traders. October, which will expire on Oct. 14, closed down 0.1 cent/lb. at 48.925 cents (all figures US$). Most-actively traded December ended 0.2 cent […] Read more

September record-large U.S. hog herd topped expectations
Reuters — The U.S. hog herd in the June-August quarter grew two per cent versus a year ago to a record high, according to Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture report, which surpassed average trade projections. Affordable feed, solid summer grilling demand and respectable U.S. pork exports encouraged farmers to grow their herds. Several producers ramped […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle plunge limit down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Tuesday slumped, with nearby contracts down the three cents/lb. daily price limit, rattled by fund selling and uneasiness before cash prices by Friday, said traders. October and December settled down by the three-cent limit to 103.825 and 103.125 cents, respectively (all figures US$). Live […] Read more