(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Live cattle retreat following initial cash prices

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts slumped on Wednesday, pulled down by technical selling and lower preliminary cash prices, said traders. June closed 0.95 cent/lb. lower at 122.125 cents (all figures US$). August closed 1.4 cents lower at 119.925 cents, and below the 10-day moving average of 120.13 cents. Wednesday morning’s […] Read more


(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Hogs gain, cattle ease on spread unwinding

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures rose to a three-month high on Tuesday while live cattle declined as some investors unwound hog-cattle spreads, traders and analysts said. Traders locked in profits on long cattle-short hog spreads, with Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle declining for the first time in four sessions and easing from […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle hit two-week high on cash discount, bear-spreading

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. live cattle futures extended gains to a nearly two-week high on Monday, lifted by bear-spreading and futures’ discount to trades in the cash steer market, traders said. Feeder cattle futures jumped two per cent and lean hog futures hovered near three-month highs while wholesale beef and pork prices climbed ahead […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Klassen: Feeder cattle market experiences mixed tone

Western Canadian feeder cattle markets were rather subdued this past week; average prices were unchanged from seven days earlier. However, the bloom has come off the rose as the extreme highs from earlier in May have evaporated. Late in the week, shorter-keep cattle appeared to trade $3-$5 higher, especially on higher-quality larger groups. Major feedlot […] Read more



Consumer spending favours beef market

Consumer spending favours beef market

Market Update: Food prices have been down, so shoppers have more money for beef

The fed and feeder cattle markets continue to hold value despite the year-over-year increase in beef production. Alberta packers were buying fed cattle in the range of $175 to $177 in late April. Wholesale beef prices have been surprisingly strong as beef demand continues to exceed expectations. Major economic indicators are fairly encouraging which should […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle rebound on technical buying, lower animal weights

Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. cattle futures climbed on Thursday, rising on technical buying and lower animal weights that suggested feedlots were aggressively marketing cattle to meet strong beef packer demand, traders and analysts said. Both Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures were technically oversold after steep losses during the past two weeks. […] Read more


(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Hogs end mixed on profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. lean hog futures jumped to the highest levels in three months on Wednesday, rising alongside wholesale pork prices before some hog contracts turned lower on profit-taking, traders and analysts said. Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures were mostly higher, buoyed by expectations that U.S. consumers will buy more meat for outdoor […] Read more

(Regis Lefebure photo courtesy ARS/USDA)

U.S. livestock: Hogs hit three-month high

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures on Tuesday reached their highest level since mid-February, fueled by strong cash and wholesale pork prices, traders said. June futures led gainers after investors bought that contract and sold deferred months, prompted by bullish market fundamentals, traders said. June closed 1.475 cents/lb. higher at 78.725 […] Read more