Reuters — Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is dropping a proxy fight focused on the treatment of pregnant pigs at Kroger Co. after losing a similar fight with McDonald’s Corp last month, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. “I congratulate the McDonald’s team on their victory in this proxy engagement and, after much contemplation, given the […] Read more

Icahn drops proxy fights with Kroger’s, McDonald’s

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle, feeder cattle touch three-week highs
July lean hogs close lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures topped a three-week high in the most-active contract on Friday before ending lower amid pre-weekend profit-taking, analysts said. Feeder cattle futures also exceeded a three-week high, while lean hog futures came under pressure at the CME. Strong demand for cattle from meatpackers and a decline […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle firm on strong demand
Lean hogs mixed near unchanged
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group live cattle futures firmed on Thursday, supported by steady cash prices across the U.S. Plains, as well as strength in consumer beef demand, despite inflationary forces, analysts said. “The feeling two, three weeks ago was that beef demand wasn’t that good and was going to really start […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hogs firm on summer demand, tight supplies
Lower corn futures support feeder cattle
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group lean hog futures firmed on Wednesday, supported by strong demand that has pushed cash prices higher. “We’re still looking at tighter supplies in front of us,” said Rich Nelson, chief strategist at Allendale Inc. Pork demand firms during the summer, with U.S. grilling holidays such as Father’s […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog, cattle futures fall despite strong demand
Markets see 'a risk-off day'
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group lean hog futures fell on Tuesday, amid outside pressure from agricultural markets, despite strength from strong slaughter and cash hog prices. “We just had a risk-off day,” said Matthew Wiegand, Risk Management Consultant at FuturesOne. “Cash trade kicked up and is trading above the board.” The CME’s […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures fall as feed costs rise
Pre-Memorial Day consolidation seen
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group hog and cattle futures eased on Friday, with rising soy and corn futures raising feed costs for livestock producers. Traders noted consolidation trade ahead of the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend. U.S. grain and livestock markets will be closed on Monday. The nearby June hogs contract fell 0.7 cent, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: June hogs touch four-week high
June, August live cattle futures up slightly
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group hog futures rose to their highest level in more than a month on Thursday, supported by strong exports and concerns about a slowing slaughter, traders said. Cattle futures ended the trading day close to unchanged. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Thursday morning said that export sales of pork totaled […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures weaken on cash market pressure
CME hog futures close mixed
Chicago | Reuters — CME Group cattle futures dipped on Wednesday, pressured by weakness in the cash markets, traders said. Hog futures were mixed, with prices closing well off their session highs after contracts hit technical resistance. The nearby June hogs contract rose 0.025 cent to 109.05 cents/lb., while most-active July futures fell 1.1 cents, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures fall as supplies rise
CME live cattle turn lower
Chicago | Reuters — CME hog futures eased on Tuesday, pressured by a government report released after the close on Monday that showed supplies of pork at their highest in two years. The U.S. Agriculture Department on Monday afternoon said that frozen stocks of pork stood at 530.244 million lbs. as of April 30, up […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures rise on export prospects
Chicago cattle futures also gain
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange hog futures rose on Monday, with the front-month contract hitting its highest since April 22, on expectations for a pick-up in demand from top pork consumer China, traders said. The most-active July hog futures contract ended firm for the sixth time in the last seven sessions, but faced […] Read more