Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures firmed on Friday on strong beef plant margins and good demand from packers for fed cattle, traders said. Cash beef prices have flattened after a prolonged run higher, but packers continue to make a large profit on each animal slaughtered. “We’re probably seeing that our […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle gain on strong packer margins
Profit-taking sinks hogs

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs end mostly higher
Cattle futures advance
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures were mostly higher on Thursday on elevated pork prices and strong demand, although profit-taking clipped some of the gains, traders said. Lightly traded June hog futures climbed to the highest for a spot month contract in nearly seven years. More actively traded nearby contracts […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Front-month hogs hit seven-year high in thin trade
August live cattle up, feeders lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures ended mixed on Wednesday, with the thinly traded June contract rising to a seven-year high as strong domestic demand continues to underpin prices even as export prospects wane, traders said. The most-active hog futures contract eased on profit-taking but remained near the peak it […] Read more

U.S. livestock: July hogs retreat after matching contract high
August live cattle up slightly, feeders down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures ended mixed on Tuesday after matching a contract high because of tight U.S. supplies and firm cash markets, analysts said. The hog market has surged this year due to strong domestic demand and solid export sales to China, the world’s biggest pork consumer. Profit-taking […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures rise on strength in cash market
August live cattle slip, feeder cattle up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures rose on Monday, with the market underpinned by tight supplies and firm cash markets, traders said. But technical selling kept the gains in check, with the front-month contract failing to take out the seven-year high it hit on Friday. CME July lean hog futures added […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle slide on higher feed costs
Cattle slaughter down on short week, JBS hack
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) feeder cattle futures slipped on Friday, weighing on live cattle as rising corn futures pushed feed prices higher. “I think the downturn in feeders certainly was a factor,” said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group. “I don’t see any other fundamental news out there that would […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle gain on lower corn
December live cattle, July hogs up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) feeder cattle futures gained on Thursday, lifted by lower corn futures and firmer back-month live cattle. “From the feeder buyer’s perspective, you had higher cattle and lower corn, so that’s a good deal,” said Alan Brugler, president of Brugler Marketing. CME August feeder cattle closed 1.35 cents […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures rise as JBS reopens plants
July hogs down off Tuesday's peak
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures firmed on Wednesday, bouncing back from Tuesday’s steep decline that stemmed from a shutdown of JBS SA’s beef operations due to a cyberattack. JBS employees were returning to U.S. meat plants on Wednesday, with a return to full capacity in the next couple of days. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle futures fall on cyberattack at JBS
July hogs touch contract high
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures tumbled on Tuesday after JBS stopped slaughtering at U.S. plants because of a cyberattack. Brazil’s JBS told the U.S. government that a ransomware attack on the company originated from a criminal organization likely based in Russia, according to the White House. It is not known […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs up on firm demand, tight supplies
Daily cattle slaughter down on week
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures climbed on Friday as pork demand remained firm and supplies of market-ready hogs stayed low, analysts said. “At some point though, you would think the wholesale price would put a damper on demand, at some point in the summer,” said Doug Houghton technical analyst at […] Read more