Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were mixed on Thursday, after dropping sharply the previous session. The December live cattle contract was up by 1.350 cents per pound at 241.175 cents. However, more deferred months were lower. Feeder cattle saw a continuation of Wednesday’s selloff, with the November contract down 2.775 cents at 361.450 […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures mixed
U.S. livestock: Cattle futures drop on Trump call for lower prices
Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange dropped sharply on Wednesday, reacting to comments from United States President Donald Trump calling on the cattle sector to lower prices. The December live cattle contract lost 5.600 cents per pound on Wednesday, at 239.825 cents. Feeder cattle were down their daily limit of 9.250 cents per pound […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle continue higher
Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were stronger on Tuesday, seeing a continuation of Monday’s gains as values remain near record highs. The ongoing shutdown of the United States government will likely delay the publication of monthly cattle on feed data scheduled to come out on Friday. However, market expectations are for a […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Live cattle correct higher
Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were stronger on Monday, taking back some of Friday’s losses amid ideas the declines were overdone. Cattle futures posted limit-down losses on Friday following comments from United States President Donald Trump that he would lower beef prices. Trump also said over the weekend that beef purchases from […] Read more
Klassen: Cash feeder market divorces from futures market
For the week ending October 11, Western Canadian yearling markets traded $8/cwt higher to $5/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier. Calf prices experienced a week-over-week decline of $3-$8/cwt on average. Feather-light calves under 450 pounds were steady to $10 higher on average. The Canadian cash feeder market appeared to divorce from the feeder cattle […] Read more
Klassen: Highs in place for the feeder market
For the week ending October 4, Western Canadian grass yearling markets traded steady to $5-$8/cwt lower on average compared to seven days earlier. Backgrounded yearlings were down $5-$12/cwt. Calf markets were down $5 to $10/cwt from a week earlier. There was an influx of calves over the past week which resulted in the softer tone […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market remains volatile
For the week ending September 27, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets traded $10/cwt higher to $10/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier.
Klassen: Feeder market slips off record highs
For the week ending September 20, Western Canadian feeder markets traded steady to $5/cwt lower compared to seven days earlier. There were pockets where quality calf packages traded $10-$15/cwt below prices from the prior week. The October feeder cattle futures have been trading at $15/cwt premium to the deferred March 2026 contract. This inverse in […] Read more
U.S. livestock: Cattle markets up ahead of report
Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were stronger on Friday, with positioning ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest cattle on feed report behind much of the activity. The report came out after the markets closed, with placements in August down 10 per cent on the year at 1.78 million head and marketings […] Read more
Klassen: Feeder market eyes deferred live cattle futures
For the week ending September 13, Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were relatively unchanged compared to seven days earlier. The April 2026 live cattle futures ended the week at $233, down $10 from the contract highs. Nearby feedlot margins remain favorable; however, profitability in the deferred positions has evaporated given the weakness in the deferred […] Read more