Compared to last week, western Canadian yearlings were $2-$3 higher; calf prices were $2 to as much as $4 higher; calves under 600 lbs. were $4 to as much as $10 higher in some cases. February and April live cattle futures appear to be incorporating a risk premium due to the uncertainty in beef production […] Read more

Klassen: Feeder cattle edge higher on improving margins

U.S. livestock: Hog futures drop on supply glut
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell 2.4 per cent on Monday, weighed down by bearish supply concerns, traders said. “The hog market boils down to more of the same. Big supplies, record supplies,” said Don Roose, president of Iowa-based U.S. Commodities “With these trade talks still iffy, where are the Chinese? They […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs recover from two-month low
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures ended higher on Friday in a turnaround from a decline earlier in the session to their lowest price since early September. Prices bounced back as pork producers are hoping that China will ramp up buying from the U.S. as it grapples with a fatal pig disease, African […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle touch seven-month peak on weather woes
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures closed higher on Tuesday, recording a seven-month high on expectations that a winter storm this week would slow the movement of cattle to beef packing plants and possibly curb the ability of feedlot cattle to gain weight, traders said. A powerful snowstorm swept across Colorado and into […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs plunge on fresh doubts of China trade prospects
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell more than four per cent on Wednesday, with the benchmark February contract at times dropping its daily three-cent limit on doubts about the prospects for a U.S. trade deal with China, the world’s top pork consumer. February lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures slip on ample supplies, trade uncertainty
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Tuesday, extending their latest slide to five straight sessions on uncertainty about U.S. pork exports to China, traders said. Market bulls have been hoping for a U.S. trade deal with Beijing that could bolster U.S. pork sales to China, the world’s biggest pork consumer. China […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hog futures extend slide on China trade worries
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures fell on Monday for a fourth straight session, with deferred contracts leading the way down on worries about the chances for a U.S.-China trade deal that could boost Chinese imports of U.S. pork, traders said. Most-active February lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) settled […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs reach two-month low on increased slaughter
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. lean hog futures touched a two-month low on Friday as meat packers slaughtered more pigs to profit from high margins. Pork processors killed an estimated 485,000 pigs, up 1,000 from a week earlier and 20,000 from a year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. They are projected to slaughter […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Hogs drop on large supply, trade war jitters
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. livestock futures dropped on Wednesday, with lean hogs stumbling under pressure from large supplies in a turnaround from a rally a session earlier. Fresh uncertainty over U.S.-China trade relations added pressure to the hog market, analysts said. Traders and meat producers are hoping for further U.S. pork sales to China, […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Live cattle jump as beef stocks tighten, funds buy
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. live cattle futures scaled to their highest point in 5-1/2 months on Wednesday as tighter-than-expected beef stocks and rising cash beef prices triggered active fund buying that took prices through key technical resistance levels. Actively traded contracts posted their strongest gains in nearly a month, breaking out of a narrow […] Read more