Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and lean hog futures stabilized on Tuesday after sliding during the previous session on fears that the U.S. may be headed for a recession.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures plunged sharply on Friday, with back-month feeder cattle contracts setting new lows, as signs of a weakening U.S. economy spurred market participants to unwind long positions and seek cover, traders said.
Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean futures turned higher on Friday as market participants and fund traders scrambled to cover their hefty short positions on signs of the U.S. economy weakening, market analysts said.
U.S. corn and soybean futures fell to their lowest levels in nearly four years on Thursday as forecasts for cool, rainy weather in the Corn Belt boosted yield expectations, analysts said.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures turned lower on Thursday, with the most-active feeder cattle contract FCU24 falling more than two per cent, amid a flurry of fund selling and signs of weakening consumer demand.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures firmed on technical trading and weaker wholesale prices on Wednesday, while live cattle futures ended lower on a day of choppy trade, market analysts said.
Chicago December corn futures settled below $4 and hit a contract low on Wednesday as favorable U.S. crop prospects weighed and farmers began selling their hefty supplies of old crop corn, traders said.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live and feeder cattle futures turned higher on Tuesday as the cash cattle market remained strong, while lean hogs turned lower as traders anticipated slowing ham sales.
The year-over-year decline in last year’s calf crop has caused the market to set new records. Larger finishing feedlots are setting the price structure as many of these lots have seasonal low inventory. The quality of yearlings coming off grass is excellent with buyers shopping for feed efficiencies.
Chicago soybean prices plunged on Monday to the lowest since October 2020, as forecasts for rain in the U.S. crop belt alleviated concerns over the potential impact on crop yields from hot and dry weather.