CME December 2023 live cattle with 20- and 50-day moving averages and ICE December 2023 Brent crude (black line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: Cattle retreat as energy rally dents beef demand outlook

Lean hog futures mostly also lower

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

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

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


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

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

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

CBOT November 2023 soybeans with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

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


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

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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

CME October 2023 live cattle with 20- and 100-day moving averages and August 2023 live cattle (dark red line). (Barchart)

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


CME August 2023 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

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

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

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