Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures turned moderately higher on Wednesday, lifted by short-covering following mostly fully steady cash prices, traders and analysts said. April live cattle closed 0.55 cents per pound higher at 127.975 cents. June was up 0.375 cent to 123.2 cents (all figures US$). Cash cattle in the U.S. Plains generally […] Read more
Cash prices boost Chicago live cattle futures
Chicago feeder cattle limit up as U.S. data sinks corn
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) feeder cattle closed up the three-cent daily trading limit on Thursday after corn futures fell by its 40-cent price limit following a bearish government grain stocks report, analysts and traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture report showed bigger-than-expected corn stockpiles. More feed could lower input costs for cattle feedlot operators […] Read more
U.S. hog herd expands slightly despite high feed costs
The U.S. hog herd in the latest quarter had modest growth from year-ago levels, a U.S. government report showed on Thursday, as producers increased production in hope for less-costly feed. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s data showed the U.S. hog herd as of March 1 at 101 per cent of a year ago, or 65.911 […] Read more
Short-covering rally lifts U.S. live cattle futures
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures rallied Wednesday on short-covering before the extended Easter holiday weekend, analysts and traders said. CME livestock pit trading will close at the normal 1 p.m. CT time on Thursday. The exchange will be closed on Friday for the Good Friday holiday. April and June live cattle futures broke […] Read more
U.S. hog futures rise with cash prices
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures closed higher on Tuesday with support from higher cash hog prices, said analysts and traders. Nearby CME hog contracts benefited from bullish spreads with the view that less-expensive corn might cause some producers to feed more animals and thus pressure prices later this year. Still, slack wholesale pork demand […] Read more
USDA report lifts Chicago live cattle futures
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures on Monday turned higher on short-covering after Friday’s bullish U.S. Department of Agriculture monthly cattle-on-feed report, analysts and traders said. Friday’s data showed a bigger-than-expected drop in the number of cattle placed in feedlots in February as corn remained at historically-high levels. “The cattle report was good news. […] Read more
Chicago live cattle futures sag before USDA report
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures on Friday sagged as investors adjusted positions before the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly cattle-on-feed report at 2 p.m. CT, analysts and traders said. Analysts on average expect the data to show the number of animals placed in feedlots last month dropped from a year ago due to […] Read more
Chicago hogs, cattle rally
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) hog futures rallied on Thursday, breaking a four-day losing streak, after the U.S. House of Representatives approved funding to avoid furloughing meat plant inspectors, traders and analysts said. The U.S. Senate passed the measure on Wednesday before the bill moved through the House Thursday morning. Congressional approval fuelled more buying in […] Read more
U.S. live cattle market rebounds on short-covering
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures closed higher on Wednesday on short-covering and consolidation after recent market losses, said analysts and traders. Some investors bought deferred CME live cattle contracts ahead of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s monthly cattle-on-feed report on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters expect the report to show a nine per […] Read more
U.S. feeder cattle futures slump to 7-1/2-month low
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) feeder cattle futures slid to a 7-1/2-month low on Tuesday, weighed by sagging live cattle futures and fund liquidation, traders and analysts said. Weaker cash feeder cattle prices in the most-watched Oklahoma City market hastened futures’ retreat to new contract lows, they said. “We can’t seem to get a floor under […] Read more