Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: End-of-month positioning pressures CME live cattle

Chicago / Reuters – Last Friday’s selling of Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts carried over into Monday, led by sell-stops and position squaring on the last trading session of the month, traders and analysts said. Some investors sold August futures and simultaneously bought deferred contracts while cautiously awaiting this week’s cash prices. August ended […] Read more


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U.S. livestock: Bargain buying strengthens live cattle futures

Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle closed steady to higher on Thursday, with support from bargain buying and futures’ discounts to initial cash prices, said traders. Investors bought deferred months and simultaneously sold August futures after digesting last Friday’s bearish U.S. Department of Agriculture cattle reports. August ended unchanged at 114.300 cents per […] Read more

Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: Live cattle turn higher on futures’ cash discount

Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts on Wednesday pared some recent losses, helped by bargain buying and futures’ discounts to early-week cash prices, said traders. Investors bought August futures and sold deferred months in a trading strategy known as bull spreads. August ended 1.125 cents per pound higher at 114.300 cents, […] Read more

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U.S. livestock: Fund-selling extends CME live cattle futures losses

Chicago / Reuters – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures closed lower on Tuesday, led by lingering bearishness from last Friday’s U.S. Department of Agriculture cattle reports, traders said. USDA’s reports suggested a supply buildup in the coming months, which dropped futures by their 3-cent per pound daily price limit on Monday. August ended 0.700 […] Read more


Photo: Canada Beef Inc.

U.S. livestock: Live cattle plunge after USDA reports

Chicago / Reuters – Some Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts settled down the 3.000-cent per pound daily price limit on Monday following Friday’s bearish U.S. Department of Agriculture cattle reports, said traders. Friday’s USDA monthly Cattle-On-Feed report showed the largest June cattle placements for the month in 11 years. The twice-yearly U.S. cattle inventory […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures ease on fund selling

Chicago | Reuters –– U.S. cattle and hog futures fell one per cent or more on Monday, pressured by chart-based and investment fund selling, traders and analysts said. Lower-than-expected prices in cash cattle markets late last week further weighed on futures, even as rising U.S. wholesale beef prices suggested meat demand remained strong. Chicago Mercantile […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle end weaker

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts were weakened Friday by profit-taking and investor caution as they await the bulk of this week’s cash cattle sales, said traders. Futures discounts to initial cash prices limited market losses, they said. June closed down 0.125 cent/lb. to 131.25 cents, and August down 0.175 cent […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle soar limit up

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle contracts on Wednesday posted new highs, and nearby months hit their three-cent daily price limit, sparked by brisk beef demand and stronger-than-anticipated cash prices, traders said. June settled at 130.05 cents and August 123.8 — limit up and fresh highs for both contracts (all figures US$). […] Read more