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



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U.S. grains: wheat pares gains after 5-month top; corn, soybeans retreat

The market pulled back from five-month highs as Russia appeared to slow its port attacks

Chicago | Reuters – Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures Wv1 pared gains after setting five-month highs on Tuesday after Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure raised concerns about long-term global supplies and triggered a round of fund short-covering, analysts said. The wheat market pared gains and even dipped lower at times […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: live cattle futures end mixed; feeders pressured as corn soars

Persistent poor pasture conditions pushing producers to place more cattle in feedlots: analysts

Chicago | Reuters – Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Group closed mixed on Monday, with nearby contracts pressured by surging feed grain prices and bearish data in Friday’s monthly U.S. Cattle on Feed report. CME August live cattle futures LCQ3 settled down 1.275 cents at 178.750 cents per pound and most-active October LCV3 […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: wheat soars daily limit as Russia attacks Ukrainian grain ports

E.U. further reduces crop forecast, USDA ratings for soybean and spring wheat declines

Chicago | Reuters – U.S. wheat futures surged 8.6% on Monday, rising their daily maximum at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) after Russia attacked Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure, including the first attack on Danube River grain warehouses. The attacks targeted a vital export route for Kyiv in an expanding air campaign that Moscow began […] Read more


CME August 2023 lean hogs with 20- and 50-day moving averages and CME cash lean hog index (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hog futures gain as pork prices rise

Cattle futures end mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures ended higher on Thursday, buoyed by rising wholesale pork prices and firm cash hog values, traders said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quoted the wholesale pork carcass cutout at $110.90 per hundredweight (cwt), up 24 cents from Wednesday, and pork bellies rose $17.08, to […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle down off contract highs on profit-taking

Hogs also down off early strength

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures turned lower on Wednesday on a round of profit-taking after most months climbed to life-of-contract highs, with a seasonal downturn in beef prices adding to bearish sentiment, traders said. Most-active August live cattle futures settled down 1.95 cents at 176.875 cents/lb., retreating after rising to […] Read more


CBOT December 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn hits 2-1/2-year low, soybeans tumble over USDA data

WASDE also pressures CBOT wheat

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures fell to their lowest price since early 2021 on Wednesday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected a larger-than-expected domestic crop and rising supplies, analysts said. Soybean futures tumbled after USDA’s forecast of 2023-24 soy ending stocks fell above a range of trade estimates, and wheat futures were […] Read more

CME August 2023 lean hogs with 20- and 50-day moving averages and October 2023 lean hogs (black line). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME hogs rally as pork prices rise

August live cattle touch new contract high

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures closed higher on Tuesday, bouncing after a three-session slide as wholesale pork prices rose and cash hog prices firmed, traders said, while tight cattle supplies sent futures to life-of-contract highs. CME August lean hogs settled up 3.4 cents at 97.575 cents/lb., and the October contract […] Read more