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Tag Archives cattle futures

File photo of cattle on feed near Champion, Alta., about 75 km north of Lethbridge. (James_Gabbert/iStock/Getty Images)
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Markets

Tighter fed cattle supplies support feeder market

U.S. beef producers are not yet holding back enough heifers for expansion

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During the first week of June, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a live basis at $261 per hundredweight, f.o.b, feedlot in southern Alberta, up $4/cwt from a month earlier. Market-ready supplies of fed cattle were sharply above year-ago levels earlier in winter, but the backlog has slowly been alleviated through the spring period. […] Read more
Photo: ARS/USDA
Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME hogs rally after contract lows; cattle futures jump

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Chicago | Reuters – Lean hog futures rallied at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Friday after falling earlier to contract lows under pressure from increased U.S. production. Cattle futures also climbed. A rise in wholesale prices for U.S. pork helped trigger the turnaround in hogs, analysts said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced the pork carcass cutout […] Read more
Photo: iStock/File
Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: Lean hog futures retreat as wholesale US pork prices sag

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Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures backpedaled on Thursday from a one-week high reached during the previous session, while live cattle futures strengthened. Hog futures eased after wholesale U.S. pork prices pulled back from a jump on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Agriculture priced the pork carcass cutout at $97.02 per […] Read more
Photo: jjmiller11/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: Live cattle, lean hog futures end lower

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Chicago | Reuters – Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed lower on Tuesday in dull technical trade as market players await cash cattle trade to develop, brokers said. CME August live cattle LCQ24 settled down 1.050 cents at 178.925 cents per pound, although the contract stayed above its 100- and 200-day moving averages. CME August […] Read more
The beef cattle industry is bracing for a level of heifer retention this summer and fall that's expected to lower the feeder cattle supply.
Cattleman’s Corner, Markets

Lower feedlot placements support cattle market

Cow-calf producers should think about selling calves in late summer versus fall

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During the last week of April, Alberta packers were buying fed cattle on a live basis in the range of $256-$258 per hundredweight delivered, up $18/cwt from three weeks earlier. Alberta fed cattle basis levels have strengthened as market-ready supplies tighten. In Kansas and Texas, live sales, f.o.b. feedlot, were reported at US$182/cwt, down US$3/cwt […] Read more
Photo: File
Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures mixed, hog futures lower, amid demand questions

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures ended Monday mixed, after conflicting market signals sent feeder cattle futures lower and nearby live cattle contracts slightly higher. Lean hog futures eased, as market participants wrestled with growing uncertainty over consumer demand for meat as the U.S. enters into the traditional summer grilling season. In […] Read more
The USDA is still performing two other safety studies on beef related to H5N1 but says meat supplies are safe. Photo: File
Beef Cattle, Hogs, Livestock, Markets, Reuters

U.S. livestock: CME cattle stabilize after bird flu roils markets

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Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures stabilized on Friday after U.S. testing of ground beef samples for H5N1 bird flu fuelled wild swings, but markets still closed lower for the week. Live cattle and feeder cattle futures had rallied on Thursday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the samples from retail […] Read more
Nearly half of a beef carcass is consumed by consumers with average to above-average incomes.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

How consumer spending drives fed cattle prices

Here's why a small change in spending affects the beef market

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Cattle producers are bombarded with charts and data from cattle inventory reports and cattle on feed surveys. During the fall of 2023, live cattle futures and were trending lower. Every analyst I was reading was focused on how low supplies were from a historical perspective; however, fed cattle prices were on a downward spiral. It’s […] Read more
Cattle producers need to be aware, as we head toward 2025, that a small change in supply has a large influence on price.
Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Cattle herd declines while economy expands

One per cent increase in consumer spending means one per cent increase in beef demand

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I often place myself two years in the future, with a view of the past two years. The old saying is that hindsight is 20/20. Well then, place yourself in the future and look backward. If I were giving a cattle market outlook in March 2026, the summary would be the following: During 2024, feeder […] Read more
When commercial and managed-money positions are at an extreme low or high, that represents a turning signal for the market.
Beef Cattle, Cattleman’s Corner, Columns, Markets

Understanding the Commitments of Traders report

The U.S. report, released every Friday, is an important indicator of cattle market movement

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Who is long? Who is short? How much of each? This is the most important market information when studying the futures markets. The Commitments of Traders (CoT) report is released every Friday afternoon by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and shows the trading positions of market participants as of Tuesday’s close. Whether you […] Read more

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