Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures marched to a three-week high on Wednesday on expectations for tighter U.S. supplies, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also advanced, while lean hogs softened. Technical buying helped support live cattle, analysts said, after a drop near eight-week lows last week was seen as overdone. The […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit three-week peak on tightening U.S. supply
Weak cash prices drag on hog futures

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle futures top two-week highs
Chicago lean hog futures ease
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures topped another two-week high on Tuesday before finishing slightly firmer, while lean hog futures ended lower. Technical buying helped support gains in cattle, as the market has rebounded after nearing a two-month low last week, brokers said. A smaller U.S. cattle herd is also supportive […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle exceed two-week highs in rebound
Lean hogs up off last week's lows
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed stronger and touched their highest prices in more than two weeks on Monday as livestock markets recovered from recent losses, analysts said. The Dow and S+P 500 also ended higher, after turmoil in the banking sector recently weighed on equity and commodity markets. Cattle […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures recover after ‘complete downhill slide’
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended higher on Friday as the market recovered after sliding to life-of-contract lows this week. The market was due for a bounce as losses were overdone, brokers said. “We’ve been on just about a complete downhill slide,” said Karl Setzer, brokerage research lead at Mid-Co […] Read more

Tyson Foods plant closure raises antitrust concerns among US farmers, experts
Reuters – Tyson Foods Inc TSN.N gave its chicken suppliers two months’ notice of its plan to shut a Virginia processing plant in May, raising concerns among farmers and legal experts about the company’s compliance with antitrust regulations requiring it to give 90 days’ notice before ending a contract. The planned closure of the plant has left […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs slide to new contract lows, finish mixed
April live cattle down, feeders up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures crumbled to new life-of-contract lows on Thursday, before finishing mixed, on concerns about poor demand for U.S. pork, analysts said. The market has tanked since last week, with additional pressure stemming from weak cash prices and larger-than-expected supplies of hogs. The front-month contract is down […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs fall to contract lows on demand worries
April cattle also down on day
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures tumbled to contract lows again on Wednesday on concerns about lower demand, analysts said. Worries about the risk for a recession to reduce consumers’ meat purchases hung over livestock markets, particularly for expensive cuts, said Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist for broker StoneX. Wheat and […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs hit contract lows on follow-through selling
Cattle futures edge upward
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures dropped to contract lows on Tuesday on follow-through and technical selling after recent slides, traders said. Front-month April lean hogs settled down 0.725 cent at 77.05 cents/lb. after hitting a contract low at 77 cents (all figures US$). The contract has lost 12 per cent […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Nearby CME lean hogs recover slightly from slide
April cattle futures lower; U.S. cattle on feed in line with expectations
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended slightly higher in the nearby contract on Friday in a rebound from steep declines this week, though deferred contracts extended losses, traders said. Lower cutout values continue to hang over the futures market, along with broader pressure from market turmoil in the banking sector, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs limit down on disease chatter
Chicago cattle futures close higher
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures sank by the maximum daily trading limit on Thursday on rumours about a potential outbreak of a fatal pig disease which the U.S. government later said were untrue. Unsubstantiated chatter about a U.S. case of African swine fever swirled in the market, but the U.S. […] Read more