(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle close higher, but off highs

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures on Friday reversed some of Thursday’s steep losses, helped by short-covering after investors squared positions on the last trading session for the month, traders said. April live cattle, which expired at noon CT, settled 0.25 cent/lb. higher at 123.1 cents (all figures US$). June, the […] Read more


(Canada Beef Inc. photo)

U.S. livestock: Sluggish beef demand sinks CME live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures settled sharply lower on Thursday, with the June contract down by its three-cent/lb. daily price limit, as sluggish beef demand threatened to pressure cash prices by Friday, traders said. Lightly-traded April live cattle, which has no limit on the final two days before expiration on […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle close lower, but off lows

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures settled lower on Wednesday after sluggish wholesale beef demand renewed expectations for weak cash prices by Friday, traders said. Short-covering and bargain hunting freed contracts from session lows, they said. April live cattle, which will expire on Friday, closed 0.8 cent/lb. higher at 126 cents, […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: More short-covering extends CME live cattle gains

Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rallied again on Tuesday, led by more short-covering and sentiments that last week’s selloff was overdone, traders said. April live cattle closed 1.25 cents/lb. higher at 126.8 cents, and June ended 2.15 cents/lb. higher at 118.75 cents (all figures US$). “We saw short-covering because there […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Short-covering rallies CME live cattle

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Monday, helped by short covering and futures’ discounts to last week’s cash prices, traders said. April live cattle closed 0.825 cent/lb. higher at 125.55 cents, and June ended 1.95 cents/lb. higher at 116.6 cents (all figures US$). Last week, market-ready, or cash, […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit new contract lows before report

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures sped to new contract lows, accelerated by bearish fundamentals and positioning before the government’s monthly Cattle on Feed report at 2 p.m. CT, traders said. Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will issue its monthly cold storage data that will include total March beef and […] Read more




(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle close lower, hogs higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures lost ground again on Tuesday, pressured by more long liquidation following the morning’s wholesale beef price setback, said traders. April live cattle closed 1.15 cents/lb. lower at 127.325 cents, and June ended down 0.6 cent/lb. at 118.575 cents (all figures US$). On Wednesday, live cattle […] Read more