Chicago cattle futures closed sharply up on Monday while lean hog futures were mixed. “Two large trades were seen at two different levels in the feeder cattle market, suggesting this may have been a short covering rally,” wrote analyst Christopher B. Swift. Most-active November feeders closed at 360.800 cents a pound, up 5.375 cents. January […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures spike, hogs mixed

U.S. livestock: Cattle rebound on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rebounded on technical buying on Friday, though declining wholesale beef prices and weaker cash markets have weighed on prices, analysts said. CME December live cattle LCZ25 rose 1.025 cents to end at 234.50 cents per pound. CME November feeder cattle FCX25 rose 3.025 cents to end […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle fall on profit-taking
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on profit-taking on Thursday, though hopes for the border reopening to Mexican cattle imports have also put a damper on prices. On Tuesday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it had approved Dectomax-CA1, an injectable anti-parasitic medication, to prevent and treat screwworm in cattle. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle choppy amid weak cash market, tight supply
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures traded both sides of unchanged on Wednesday as mixed-to-weaker cash markets and a continued tight supply of cattle buffeted futures, analysts said. Industry experts said the U.S.-Mexico border is likely to be closed to cattle imports for the foreseeable future as the flesh-eating screwworm parasite spreads. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures slide in technical correction
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ticked lower on Monday in a technical pullback after futures surged in the previous session, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture in its quarterly Hogs and Pigs report on Thursday said the nation’s inventory on September 1 was 74.5 million head, down 1.3 per […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit contract highs on shock herd decline
Chicago | Reuters – Lean hog futures stormed to contract highs at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Friday as smaller-than-expected U.S. inventory numbers stoked concerns about supplies, analysts said. The nation’s inventory on September 1 was 74.5 million head, down 1.3 per cent from a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures hit contract high, herd falls short of estimates
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures set a contract high on Thursday as strong cash prices supported the market, analysts said. After the trading session ended, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a quarterly report the nation’s inventory of hogs and pigs on September 1 was 74.5 million head, down […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle drop as beef prices, packer margins erode
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Wednesday on long liquidation by funds and as sinking beef prices and eroding packer margins weighed on the market. Feeder cattle futures also retreated in a technical correction after four consecutive sessions of gains that were fueled by concerns over tightening U.S. supplies. “We […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs rally ahead of USDA report
Chicago lean hog futures rallied on Tuesday ahead of the USDA’s Hogs and Pigs report, due on Thursday. “The report may show a slight increase in total hog population, but analysts are speculating over what other stats may show and mean for futures prices,” the Wall Street Journal reported. The question is if producers expanded […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures higher on screwworm news
Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Monday after news that New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, was detected 70 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, analysts said. Analysts believed the news would mean the U.S.-Mexico border will be closed to feeder cattle imports for the foreseeable future. “It’s bullish […] Read more