Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade soybean and grain futures eased on Thursday as a strong U.S. dollar added to concerns about lacklustre export demand, traders said. The dollar rose for a fourth straight session to a two-month high, making U.S. commodities look less attractive to importers. Favourable weather for planting of U.S. […] Read more

U.S. grains: Weak export demand, rising U.S. dollar pressure soy, corn
Markets consolidate before U.S. holiday weekend

U.S. livestock: Weak pork demand knocks lean hogs to contract lows
June live cattle up; feeder cattle down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures sank to contract lows on Friday on concerns over anemic U.S. demand for pork, analysts said. The dramatic price decline fueled projections among traders that hog farmers may reduce their herds, after losing money for months on each pig they raise. Farmers are grappling with […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle stumble to three-week low
June live cattle, lean hogs also lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures slumped to their lowest price in more than three weeks on Thursday, while live cattle futures also eased. Traders said the markets were overbought and pressured by technical selling and long liquidation, after feeder cattle set contract highs last month and front-month live cattle futures […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle extend setback to six-week low
Lean hogs follow cattle futures lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures tumbled to a six-week low on Wednesday, extending a setback from an all-time high last month as technical selling and long liquidation hit the market, brokers said. Losses in equities also pressured cattle futures amid concerns that weakness in the U.S. economy could depress demand […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit five-week low
Technical selling, economic worries add pressure; June hogs up
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures dropped to their lowest level in more than five weeks on Tuesday as technical selling and concerns about the U.S. economy weighed on prices, analysts said. Economic worries increased after the failure over the weekend of First Republic Bank. Wall Street stock indexes sagged ahead […] Read more

U.S. begins testing bird flu vaccines for poultry after record outbreak
Four vaccines to be tested
Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. government is testing four potential bird flu vaccines for poultry, officials said on Friday, after more than 58 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have died in the nation’s worst outbreak ever. The trials, conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, are the first step […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle pull back from all-time highs
Chicago lean hogs up off contract lows
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures retreated on Friday after racing to all-time highs during the previous three sessions as tightening U.S. supplies rallied cash prices. Profit-taking and technical pressured futures following the surge, though the market could still post new highs moving forward, analysts said. Surging cash prices this week […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit another record high
Cattle producers seen playing hard ball; hogs touch contract lows
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures set a record high for the third consecutive session on Thursday as producers held out for higher prices from meatpackers searching for supplies, brokers said. Strong cash prices and tightening supplies have pushed futures above a 2014 record for the front-month contract, after ranchers reduced […] Read more

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle hit record high as packers scramble for supplies
Chicago lean hogs continue lower
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures stormed to an all-time high on Wednesday as meatpackers scrambled to buy livestock at a time when supplies are tightening, brokers said. Ranchers have reduced their herds due to high feed costs and drought in the western U.S., forcing packers such as Tyson Foods and […] Read more

U.S. livestock: Sizzling cash cattle prices ignite rally in CME futures
April hogs up, June down
Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures leapt to contract highs on Thursday as cash prices soared, stoking concerns about tightening U.S. supplies. Meatpackers had to be aggressive in the cash market, brokers said, after ranchers have reduced their herds due to high feed costs and drought in the western U.S. Cattle […] Read more