CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle up on bargain-buying, tight supplies

Hogs down in profit-taking

Chicago | Reuters — Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange closed higher on Friday on tight U.S. cattle supplies and bargain-buying a day after the benchmark December contract hit a one-week low, traders said. CME October live cattle futures settled up 2.1 cents at 187.075 cents/lb. and most-active December ended up 1.85 cents […] Read more

CME December 2023 lean hogs with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: December hogs limit-down on pork prices, macroeconomic fears

Cattle futures follow hogs, equities lower

Chicago | Reuters — Lean hog futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange tumbled on Thursday as a drop in wholesale pork prices coupled with worries about the global economy sparked a round of profit-taking, analysts said. Livestock futures, grains and Wall Street equity markets all declined on Thursday as the U.S. dollar set a six-month […] Read more


CME December 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle end firm, consolidate below recent highs

Hogs up on discount to cash price index

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed higher on Wednesday as the market consolidated just below life-of-contract highs touched a day earlier. Tightening U.S. cattle supplies remain a supportive backdrop to the market, but fresh bullish news was lacking, traders said. Wholesale beef prices fell, extending a seasonal slide dating from […] Read more

CME October 2023 lean hogs with 10-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Chicago hogs turn upward

Cattle futures down on day

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) lean hog futures turned solidly upward Tuesday, a day after most trading months except October booked declines. October lean hogs closed Tuesday at 84.85 cents/lb., up 1.6 cents from Monday, while December closed at 76.25 cents, up 1.825 cents on the day (all figures US$). October hogs had dipped below 82 […] Read more


CME April 2024 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

Klassen: Stronger live cattle futures enhance feeder demand

Feeder cattle supplies look to be lower than anticipated

Compared to last week, western Canadian grass yearling prices were unchanged to $3/cwt lower on average. Steers held value but heifers had a softer tone. Calf prices were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier. However, weaker barley prices and stronger deferred live cattle prices limited any slippage. The calf market continues to be in price […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle, with December 2023 live cattle (dark red O/H/L/C). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle touch contract highs on cash prices, tight supplies

Lean hogs mixed in technical trading

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures scaled to life-of-contract highs on Friday on firmer cash market prices and tight supplies of market-ready animals, traders said. Feeder cattle futures also posted contract highs across the board, drawing additional support from weaker feed corn prices. Feedlot cattle in the central and southern U.S. […] Read more


CME October 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Tight supply drives CME live cattle to new highs

Hogs down off Wednesday's one-month high

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures galloped to new highs on Thursday on short-covering combined with continued concerns about U.S. tight supplies, brokers said. October live cattle futures ended up 2.325 cents at 185.475 cents/lb. after setting a contract high of 185.775 cents/lb. (all figures US$). December live cattle settled 2.5 […] Read more

CME October 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle futures ease in technical setback after highs

Nearby lean hogs also down on technical selling

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live and feeder cattle futures retreated on Wednesday in a technical selling and profit-taking setback after hitting highs earlier in the week, traders said. Higher feed corn prices and a weak tone to the cash beef market added pressure, they said. “This is technical after feeder cattle hit […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef

Klassen: Feeder market continues to consolidate

U.S. feeder cattle supplies seen tighter than expected

Compared to last week, western Canadian grass yearling prices were relatively unchanged. Yearlings over 800 lbs. on light grain rations or on diets mixed with silage were priced at $5 to as much as $20 discount to those cattle coming straight off pasture. Larger groups of uniform quality continue to trade at a minor premium […] Read more