(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: End-of-month positioning pressures CME live cattle

Chicago / Reuters – Last Friday’s selling of Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts carried over into Monday, led by sell-stops and position squaring on the last trading session of the month, traders and analysts said. Some investors sold August futures and simultaneously bought deferred contracts while cautiously awaiting this week’s cash prices. August ended […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Live cattle futures sag on cash prices, Japan news

Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle settled lower on Friday, weighed by weaker cash prices and word that Japan plans to hike tariffs on U.S. frozen beef, said traders. Japan will raise tariffs from August on imports of frozen beef from the United States to protect domestic producers, Japan’s Ministry of Finance […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Bargain buying strengthens live cattle futures

Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed steady to higher on Thursday, with support from bargain buying and futures’ discounts to initial cash prices, said traders. Investors bought deferred months and simultaneously sold August futures after digesting last Friday’s bearish U.S. Department of Agriculture cattle reports. August ended unchanged at 114.300 cents per […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Live cattle turn higher on futures’ cash discount

Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts on Wednesday pared some recent losses, helped by bargain buying and futures’ discounts to early-week cash prices, said traders. Investors bought August futures and sold deferred months in a trading strategy known as bull spreads. August ended 1.125 cents per pound higher at 114.300 cents, […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Fund-selling extends CME live cattle futures losses

Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed lower on Tuesday, led by lingering bearishness from last Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture cattle reports, traders said. USDA’s reports suggested a supply buildup in the coming months, which dropped futures by their 3-cent per pound daily price limit on Monday. August ended 0.700 […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Live cattle plunge after USDA reports

Chicago / Reuters – Some Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts settled down the 3.000-cent per pound daily price limit on Monday following Friday’s bearish U.S. Department of Agriculture cattle reports, said traders. Friday’s USDA monthly Cattle-On-Feed report showed the largest June cattle placements for the month in 11 years. The twice-yearly U.S. cattle inventory […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Improved cash prices lift CME live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures finished firmer on Friday, led by higher cash prices than earlier this week, traders said. Technical buying and futures’ discounts to cash returns provided more market support. Investors were awaiting the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle on Feed report on Friday at 2 p.m. […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Live cattle slump on profit-taking, cash caution

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed lower on Thursday, erasing most of Wednesday’s gains, pressured by profit-taking and caution while awaiting remaining cash prices, traders said. Technical selling contributed to market losses ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly Cattle on Feed report on Friday, traders said. USDA will […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle jump

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained sharply on Wednesday, fueled by short-covering in response to higher-than-expected preliminary cash prices, said traders. They said fund buying contributed to market advances. August ended 2.2 cents/lb. higher at 117.275 cents and above the 20-day moving average of 115.838 cents (all figures US$). October […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle buckle under technical pressure

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed lower on Tuesday, hit by profit-taking and technical selling, said traders and analysts. They said some funds sold August futures and simultaneously bought the October contract. Positioning in advance of the U.S. Department of Agriculture monthly Cattle on Feed report on Friday exerted more […] Read more