Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures fell on Friday as traders banked profits and squared positions ahead of the weekend as geopolitical turmoil riled energy markets and stoked concerns about beef demand. Crude oil rallied more than five per cent on Friday on the escalating Middle East conflict as the Israeli military […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle retreat as energy rally dents beef demand outlook
Lean hog futures mostly also lower

U.S. grains: Soy, corn slip on profit taking, macro pressure
Exports lift wheat futures
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures retreated on Friday on profit-taking after hitting two-week highs in the previous session and as souring consumer sentiment and inflation worries hung over the market. Corn futures followed soybeans lower, but wheat rallied after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported stronger-than-expected weekly export sales and confirmed a […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hogs down as Middle East war sparks risk-off selling
Smithfield to shut Charlotte, N.C. plant
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures retreated on Monday while lean hog futures fell for the first time in four sessions, pressured by risk-off selling as violence erupted in the Middle East over the weekend and riled global markets. The bloodiest fighting in years between the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Israel […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Soybeans down on positioning, crush pace
CBOT wheat ends up on week
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. soybean futures fell on Friday on technical selling and profit taking after two sessions of gains, and as a monthly crush report showed U.S. processors handled far fewer beans than expected in August. Corn futures followed soybeans lower, with both markets also pressured by improving crop conditions in Europe and […] Read more

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

USDA June soybean crush seen at 175.5 million bushels
If estimate realized, would be smallest monthly crush since September
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. soy processors likely crushed 5.265 million short tons of soybeans, or 175.5 million bushels, in June, according to the average forecast of eight analysts surveyed by Reuters ahead of a monthly U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report. If the estimate is realized, it would be down from the 189.3 million […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME cattle end higher on firm cash values
Hogs settle lower off recent highs
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures ended modestly higher on Monday on follow-though buying from Friday and carry-over strength from last week’s strong cash cattle market. Cash cattle traded late last week as high as $184-$185 per hundredweight (cwt) in northern feedlot areas, traders said, up from sales of around $178-$182 […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle climb on firmer cash market
Hogs down on technical selling
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures rallied on Friday on tight fed cattle supplies and higher cash market sales in the central U.S. Plains and western Midwest, traders said. Beef packers were in need of cattle to fill near-term operations, including a large Saturday slaughter and a full week of production […] Read more

U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn drop on improved crop weather
CBOT September wheat also down
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn and soybean futures fell on Friday as recent welcome rains across the Midwest farm belt, and forecasts for more next week, aided crops that had been suffering under an early season drought. Soybeans, which notched a four-month high on Monday, ended down 1.9 per cent for the week, while […] Read more