CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20- and 100-day moving averages and CME cash lean hog index (blue line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs firm on demand expectations

Live cattle follow retail beef prices higher

Chicago | Reuters — CME lean hog futures lifted on Wednesday, jumping to two-week highs on expectations that demand for market-ready hogs will perk up in the coming weeks, analysts said. “There seems to be a lot of optimism in buying for after the first of the year,” said Matthew Wiegand, Risk Management Consultant at […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat (candlesticks) with 20-day moving average (green line), MGEX March 2023 hard red spring wheat (yellow line) and K.C. March 2023 hard red winter wheat (orange line). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat climbs on winterkill worries

Corn, soy firm on South American dryness

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat futures climbed on Wednesday, as forecasts for temperatures well below freezing across the U.S. Midwest threatened winter crops heading into the holiday weekend. Corn and soybeans inched higher, supported by firmer wheat and weather conditions in South America. The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) […] Read more


CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-day moving average (pink line) and CME cash lean hog index (blue line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs ease on weaker pork cutout

Cattle futures down with slaughter pace

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group lean hog futures fell on Tuesday, pressured by falling pork prices, analysts said. “The product markets are so weak, I think it’s keeping the nearby under pressure,” said Altin Kalo, economist at Steiner Consulting Group. Carcass cutout values dropped $1.47, to $83.46 per hundredweight (cwt), according to the U.S. […] Read more

CBOT January 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans end higher with South America in focus

Wheat even; supplies from Black Sea region weigh against U.S. cold snap

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures added on Tuesday as traders watched South American weather, though prices could not break above resistance around US$15 a bushel. “We’re at a key level that’s stopped this market several times,” said Kristi Van Ahn-Kjeseth, chief operating officer at consulting firm Van Ahn and Co. “You get to […] Read more


CME February 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle up with boxed beef prices

Lean hogs rise, then close lower

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group live cattle futures finished higher on Monday as rising boxed beef prices signaled there is demand in the market, brokers said. Choice cuts of boxed beef rose by $1, to $263.83 per hundredweight, after climbing by $8.53 on Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said (all figures US$). Select […] Read more

CBOT January 2023 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Rains in drought-hit Argentina pressure CBOT futures

Recession fears add pressure to markets, analysts say

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean futures slid on Monday after beneficial rains hit Argentina’s drought-stricken agricultural zone, analysts said. Argentina is the world’s leading exporter of processed soy, but its usually green Pampas plains have been hit by a historic drought that is preventing many farmers from planting their […] Read more


CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-day moving average (pink line) and CME cash lean hog index (blue line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog futures up off two-month low

Live cattle, feeder cattle also gain

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group hog futures rallied on Friday, rebounding from a two-month low on a round of end-of-week bargain buying. Cattle futures also were firm despite concerns about waning demand, traders said. Cash market strength added support to both hogs and cattle. CME February lean hogs jumped 4.125 cents, to 85.775 cents/lb. […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat futures fall on fund selling

Soybean futures rise

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and wheat futures dipped on Friday, with concerns about a weakening global economy deterring traders from extending gains made earlier this week. “Fund managers continue to interpret their supply and demand fundamentals through a lens coloured by recession fears,” Arlan Suderman, chief commodities economist at brokerage StoneX, said in […] Read more


CME February 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Hog, cattle futures fall on poor demand outlook

Winter storms threaten some herds

Chicago | Reuters — CME Group cattle and hog futures weakened on Thursday, with traders expressing concerns about both domestic and export demand due to prospects for a softening global economy. The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) on Thursday morning said that weekly export sales of beef totaled 13,800 tonnes, down from 18,000 a week ago. […] Read more