Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade live cattle contracts rose on Thursday, touching a fresh seven-year high, with tight supplies boosting cash market prices and lending support to futures.
Hog futures eased after rising in five of the previous six sessions, but losses were kept in check by signs of good consumer demand.
Export sales of pork totaled 40,800 tonnes in the week ended Oct. 13, up from 29,900 tonnes the prior week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.
Weekly beef export sales rose to 19,400 tonnes from 14,800 tonnes.
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U.S. livestock: Cattle futures come down from highs
Cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange were weaker on Monday, coming down from recent highs.
CME December lean hog futures slipped 0.35 cent to settle at 87.025 cents/lb. (all figures US$).
CME December live cattle rose 0.325 cent, to 151.675 cents/lb.
Spot October live cattle contract gained 0.425 cent, to 149.775 cents/lb. The contract peaked at 149.825 cents, the highest on a continuous basis for the front-month contract since Aug. 12, 2015.
In the U.S. wholesale beef market, choice cuts were priced at $253.62 per hundredweight (cwt), up from $253.39 on Wednesday. Select cuts fell 11 cents, to $222.08/cwt, according to USDA data.
CME November feeder cattle ended 0.525 cent lower at 177.55 cents/lb.
Analysts were expecting a monthly USDA report on Friday to show that the number of cattle on feed as of Oct. 1 was 99.1 per cent of the year-ago total.
— Mark Weinraub is a Reuters commodities correspondent in Chicago.
