CME December 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, dark red and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle at two-month high on strong beef demand

December hogs follow pork lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures reached a two-month high on Monday amid expectations for solid demand for beef, traders said. Gains in cash cattle prices last week helped support futures, traders said. Meat packers killed an estimated 121,000 cattle at U.S. slaughtering plants on Monday, unchanged from a week ago, […] Read more


CBOT January 2022 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn sag before USDA report

Traders await department's crop and inventory forecasts

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean and corn futures slumped on Monday as traders adjusted positions before the release of key U.S. Department of Agriculture crop and inventory forecasts on Tuesday.   Big U.S. harvests, near-perfect weather for planting in Brazil and signs of slowing purchases by top buyer China are bolstering […] Read more

CBOT December 2021 wheat (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, brown and dark green lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat firms on global supply concerns

Fertilizer risks underpin corn; soybeans weighed by harvest, firmer crush lends support

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago wheat rose on Friday, supported by global supply concerns and an easing dollar. Corn followed wheat higher, but gains were dragged down by pressure from a lower soybean market as U.S. farmers reap better-than-expected harvests of the oilseed. The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) ended […] Read more


CME December 2021 live cattle (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle falls as cash market idles

Lower cash, pork prices drag on lean hogs

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures fell, pressured by a stagnant cash market and processing backups, traders said. CME December live cattle futures settled down 1.225 cents at 128.325 cents/lb. January feeder cattle futures eased 2.675 cents to end at 157.325 cents/lb. For the week, live cattle futures lost 2.35 cents, […] Read more

CME December 2021 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20- and 100-day moving averages (pink and black lines) and CME Lean Hog Index (dark red dotted line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs fall on sluggish export sales

Weaker exports drag on cattle also

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell for a third session on Thursday, pressured by weak export activity, traders said. CME December lean hog futures settled down 2.825 cents at 73.2 cents/lb., its biggest drop since Sept. 10 (all figures US$). CME February hogs ended down 2.55 cents at 76.675 cents/lb. […] Read more


CBOT November 2021 soybeans (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (yellow, dark green and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Soy down on South American weather, technical pressure

Firm U.S. dollar weighs on wheat; rising crop input costs supportive for corn

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures fell on Thursday after five straight sessions of gains, pressured by technical resistance and beneficial forecasts for rain in top export competitor Brazil. Wheat eased from a two-week high hit earlier on Thursday as weaker crude oil prices and a firmer U.S. dollar offset tightening global supplies. Corn […] Read more

MGEX December 2021 spring wheat (candlesticks) with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat, corn, soy futures up with global demand

MGEX December wheat at nine-year high

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures hit a two-week high on Wednesday and soybean futures also advanced, supported by brisk global demand, firm cash markets and surging vegetable oil prices. U.S. wheat futures rose as Minneapolis Grain Exchange spring wheat futures set a nine-year top on tightening global supplies of high-quality milling wheat. Additional […] Read more


CME February 2022 lean hogs (candlesticks) with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages (pink, brown and black lines). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME lean hogs down on technical selling, export worries

Chicago cattle futures up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell on Wednesday on technical selling and fears that falling Chinese hog prices point to slowing export demand for U.S. pork, traders said. CME December lean hog futures settled down 1.375 cents at 76.025 cents/lb., after dipping to 75.925 cents and filling a gap on […] Read more

Detail on the Chicago Board of Trade building. (Kevinstack22/iStock/Getty Images)

CBOT weekly outlook: Soy, corn strength impressive for time of year

MarketsFarm — Soybean and corn futures at the Chicago Board of Trade have posted solid gains over the week ended Wednesday, recovering after bearish yield and stocks data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture sparked a selloff a week earlier. Terry Reilly of Futures International in Chicago used “pretty impressive” to describe the latest strength […] Read more