CME April 2023 feeder cattle (right column) with Bollinger bands (20,2) and CBOT May 2023 corn (orange line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle retreat as corn prices rise

Live cattle also lower, lean hogs up

Chicago | Reuters — Feeder cattle futures on Friday extended a setback from 2015 highs the front-month contract reached this week, as rising corn prices temporarily dampened expectations for cheaper livestock feed, analysts said. Corn futures ended higher on the Chicago Board of Trade after sliding earlier to a seven-month low. Feed is generally the […] Read more

CME April 2023 feeder cattle with 20-day moving average (black line, right column) and CBOT May 2023 corn (orange line, left column). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle pull back

CME lean hogs end day mixed

Chicago | Reuters — Feeder cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Thursday ended lower on Thursday as the front-month contract pulled back from its highest prices in nearly 7-1/2 years. Traders took some profits after futures rallied recently on falling corn prices, brokers said, adding that continued declines in the corn market could […] Read more


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

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle climb to another contract high

April live cattle lower, lean hogs up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures reached a contract high for a second consecutive session on Tuesday, while live cattle futures retreated from a contract high set a day earlier, brokers said. Reduced U.S. herd sizes due to drought have propelled futures higher recently, though some brokers said supply concerns have […] Read more

CME April 2023 feeder cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME feeder cattle set contract high on tightening supplies

Chicago live cattle also up, lean hogs down

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange feeder cattle futures jumped to a new contract high on Monday on firm cash prices and increasing concerns about reduced U.S. herd numbers, analysts said. Traders focused on tighter cattle supplies as demand from meatpackers for livestock to slaughter remained strong. Ranchers have reduced herd sizes due to […] Read more

CBOT May 2023 corn with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, wheat hit multi-week lows on export concerns

Hopes for Black Sea export deal pressure CBOT grains

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures set a six-week low on Friday while wheat hit its lowest level in more than four weeks on concern over competition for global export business, analysts said. Technical selling helped fuel the sell-off, along with prospects for robust 2023 corn production in the U.S. and […] Read more


CME April 2023 live cattle with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle consolidate after hitting new contract high

Chicago lean hogs end lower

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures consolidated on Friday after setting a string on contract highs recently, while lean hog futures eased. The cattle market looks ripe for a correction after futures rose this month on tightening U.S. supplies, brokers said. However, cattle inventories look even smaller than expected as ranchers […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: CME cattle set high on Brazil halting beef exports to China

April hogs close lower, June up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures reached a contract high on Thursday amid hopes that Chinese importers will buy more U.S. beef after rival supplier Brazil suspended shipments to China, analysts said. Brazil said it would halt beef exports to China, the main destination for its overseas shipments, after confirming a […] Read more

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

U.S. grains: Corn futures hit six-week low on projected plantings

Corn, soy, wheat prices to drop from 2022, USDA predicts

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade corn futures hit a six-week low on Thursday as the U.S. government projected farmers will plant more acres this year and prices will decline, analysts said. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, at its annual Agricultural Outlook Forum, pegged 2023 corn plantings at 91 million acres, up from […] Read more


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U.S. beef cow herd falls to lowest level since 1962, USDA says

Last year saw record cull, Rabobank reports

Chicago | Reuters — The U.S. beef cow herd dropped to its lowest level since 1962, U.S. Department of Agriculture data showed on Tuesday, after a severe drought raised costs for livestock feed. Ranchers increasingly sent cows to slaughter last year, instead of keeping them to reproduce, as dry weather reduced the amount of pasture […] Read more

CBOT March 2023 soft red winter wheat with Bollinger bands (20,2). (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Wheat posts biggest weekly loss in six months

Soybeans, soymeal rally on Argentina drought

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Board of Trade wheat futures weakened on Friday and posted their biggest weekly decline in six months as ample supplies from the Black Sea region weighed on prices, analysts said. Soybean and soymeal futures rallied amid increasing concerns about drought hurting crops in Argentina, the world’s leading exporter of processed […] Read more