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: Cattle futures weaken on cash market pressure
CME hog futures close mixed

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 lean hogs firm nearby
Outside markets pressure live cattle
Chicago | Reuters — CME’s nearby lean hog futures firmed on Tuesday, incentivizing producers to sell market-ready hogs rather than hold them for premiums later in the summer, analysts said. High futures prices “may have encouraged producers to take a little more risk,” said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group. “When you’ve got such […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs climb, demand uncertainty remains
Chicago cattle futures lower
Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures firmed for a second session on Thursday, supported by bargain buying, though demand concerns capped gains, analysts said. “We’ve got conflicting fundamentals. Seasonally, hog supplies should continue to tighten into mid-summer. But right now there’s a lot of demand worry,” said Doug Houghton, technical analyst at Brock […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs fall to lowest since early February
CME cattle also weak
Chicago | Reuters — CME hog futures dropped to their lowest in nearly three months on Friday, pressured by concerns about consumer demand as summer grilling season nears, traders said. Cattle futures also fell. Some end-of-month fund liquidation likely added to the weakness in livestock contracts, traders said. “There is not a whole lot of […] Read more

McDonald’s calls Icahn demands on sourcing pigs ‘unfeasible’
Investor cites company's 10-year-old pledge
Boston | Reuters — McDonald’s Corp on Thursday said Carl Icahn’s call for the fast food chain to stop buying pork from suppliers that house the animals in crates would be logistically unfeasible and prohibitively expensive. The billionaire investor, who owns roughly US$50,000 worth of McDonald’s stock, is pushing the company to change how it […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit two-month peak
Rising cash markets support cattle; hogs down for third straight session
Chicago | Reuters –– Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange jumped to a two-month high on Thursday, led by firming cash cattle markets and optimism about a seasonal climb in U.S. beef demand as the summer grilling season nears, traders said. CME June live cattle futures settled up 1.275 cents at 139.9 cents/lb. […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle near two-month high
Cash cattle market firms; hog futures lower
Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange hit their highest in nearly two months on Wednesday, led by firming prices for market-ready cattle in the cash market, traders said. Live cattle traded as high as $146 per hundredweight (cwt) in eastern Nebraska cash markets, traders said, while dressed cattle in […] Read more

China’s hog output recovers, drags on Brazil pork exports
China's total Q1 pork imports down 64 per cent
Sao Paulo | Reuters — Brazilian pork exporters are grappling with a drop in volumes shipped to their main buyer, China, which has increased its pork meat production after an outbreak of African swine fever in 2018. ASF forced China to cull millions of hogs and increase imports. China continued to be Brazil’s top pork […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures backpedal off April high
Chicago cattle futures up
Chicago | Reuters — Profit-taking weighed on Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Tuesday after prices leapt to their highest price this month, traders said. Most-active June lean hogs settled down 1.075 cents at 121.325 cents/lb. (all figures US$). The contract is up eight per cent since nearing a one-month low on April 5 […] Read more