Chicago | Reuters — U.S. feeder cattle futures rose on Monday, reversing earlier declines and extending steep gains of recent days as wintry weather hampered animal weight gains and feed prices tumbled, traders and analysts said. Live cattle futures steadied after falling sharply early in the session at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, as big declines […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Feeder cattle rise on cash gains, wintry weather

U.S. grain prices soar as floods shut waterways, threaten crops
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grain farmers scrambled to find shelter for their crops and handlers hunted for alternative transportation routes, as widespread floods shut waterways from Illinois to Missouri and spurred a surge in physical prices of corn and soybeans. The sudden jump in prices could complicate a months-long stand-off between farmers who are […] Read more
Rising Mississippi waters bring barge traffic near halt
Chicago | Reuters –– Rapidly rising floodwaters brought barge traffic to a near standstill on the middle section of the Mississippi River on Monday, halting shipments of goods such as soybeans, concrete and road salt, government officials and traders said. The deadly storms have killed more than 40 people in flooding and tornadoes, snarling air […] Read more

U.S. grains: Prices fall on technical selling, abundant supplies
Reuters — U.S. grain and soybean prices fell on Tuesday, weighed by technical selling and abundant global supplies. Soybeans and wheat gave up earlier gains that were based on weather concerns for developing crops, while corn led the way down in choppy trading ahead of Friday’s Christmas holiday. “There’s no real bullish news, so there’s […] Read more

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat extend gains on technical buying
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. corn and wheat rose on Friday, extending steep gains from the previous session on technical buying while soybeans jumped to a one-month high on large export sales of soybeans to China. Thursday’s rally in grains at the Chicago Board of Trade was tied to a steep drop in the dollar, […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat surges on short-covering on tumbling dollar
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. wheat surged more than two per cent on Thursday, snapping a six-session losing streak as investors covered short positions and the dollar tumbled after the European Central Bank acted to fight low inflation. Corn futures also jumped, while soybeans shook off earlier losses to turn narrowly higher at the Chicago […] Read more

U.S. grains: Wheat falls to 5-1/2 year low on rising dollar
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. grains fell on Wednesday, with wheat prices hitting the lowest levels since June 2010 as a rising dollar made the cereals less attractive in global markets, traders said. Wheat now has declined six sessions in a row, shedding more than eight per cent in the worst such skid since July […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle fall most in two weeks on dry Plains forecast
Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. cattle futures fell as much as 2.5 per cent on Monday, with both live and feeder cattle contracts posting their largest daily declines in two weeks on ample supplies and expectations for improved weather in the southern Plains. Snow, ice and rains slowed movement of cattle to market last week […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle up for week, first time since October
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures edged higher on Friday, capping their first weekly gain in five weeks as wintry weather across the central U.S. slowed the movement of cattle to market. Storms from New Mexico to Illinois that brought ice, snow and pounding rain caused flooding, killing at least three […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Lean hogs hit three-week high as cash prices stabilize
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures jumped as much as two per cent on Wednesday, lifted by stabilizing cash prices and ideas the market may have bottomed out after hitting six-year lows earlier this month. Live cattle futures and feeder cattle also were higher in light-volume trading at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ahead […] Read more