Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished mixed on Wednesday after the morning’s higher wholesale beef prices prompted traders to buy the June contract and simultaneously sell August, traders said. June live cattle closed up 0.325 cent/lb. to 121.425 cents, and August ended 0.6 cent lower at 117.45 cents (all figures […] Read more
U.S. livestock: CME live cattle close mixed
Klassen: Feeder cattle market remains vulnerable
After a firmer tone the last two weeks, feeder cattle values felt sluggish across the Prairies. Western Canadian prices were quoted from unchanged to $5 lower; smaller sales with variable quality saw prices fall as much as $10 below week-ago levels. Feedlot operators were taken aback by the sharp decline in the live cattle futures […] Read more
U.S. watchdog to review cattle pricing, high-speed trading
Chicago | Reuters — A U.S. watchdog agency will launch a review of cattle pricing, including the impact of high-frequency trading on futures, after ranchers complained about a sharp price drop last year. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has accepted a request from the Senate judiciary committee to study the reasons for the decline, […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs up on pork gains, short-covering
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. lean hog futures rose as much as two per cent on Thursday, rallying to the highest levels in a week on gains in pork prices and as investors exited short positions ahead of a long holiday weekend, traders said. Most-active July hogs settled 1.45 cents higher at 81.275 cents/lb., with […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Weak cash outlook limits live cattle advances
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained on Wednesday, helped by short-covering and bargain hunting after recent market losses, traders said. But expectations of softer market-ready, or cash, cattle prices by Friday, and subsequent increased supplies, tempered market advances, traders said. “Futures is an anticipatory market. It is already anticipating cash […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cash price outlook extends CME live cattle losses
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures slumped for a second straight session on Tuesday, pressured by follow-through selling and potentially softer cash prices later this week, traders said. June live cattle closed down 0.15 cent/lb. at 118 cents, and August ended 1.275 cents lower at 113.175 cents (all figures US$). Futures […] Read more
Klassen: Improving margins support feeder market
Average western Canadian feeder cattle prices were $3-$5 above week-ago levels, with top-quality larger groups trading as much as $8-$10 higher. While current pen closeouts remain underwater, the deferred positions are somewhat brighter, which has rejuvenated buying enthusiasm. Most risk management strategies rely on cattle feeders staying in the game all year. There appears to […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle limit down after bearish USDA surprise
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle and feeder cattle futures tumbled by their respective daily price limits on Monday, declining two per cent or more in a selloff triggered by bearish U.S. Department of Agriculture data released after Friday’s session. Cattle gapped lower on their price charts at the opening of trading, before locking […] Read more
April U.S. cattle placed in feedlots at three-year high
Chicago | Reuters –– The number of cattle placed into U.S. feedlots in April jumped seven per cent from a year earlier, according to a government report on Friday, far exceeding most analysts’ forecasts. Feedlots were still operating at a loss, analysts said. But lower prices for young calves allowed feedlots to buy more of […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Hogs fall on technical selloff
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. lean hog futures fell sharply on Wednesday, led by declines in the front-month June contract on technical and fund selling that was linked to an expected slump in the cash hogs market, traders and analysts said. The June contract settled 1.525 cents lower at a one-week low of 81.225 cents/lb., […] Read more
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