(WPohlDesign/iStock/Getty Images)

U.S. livestock: Short-covering boosts CME cattle after recent decline

The U.S. hog market traded sideways on Tuesday

Chicago | Reuters — Short-covering lifted Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and feeder futures on Tuesday, analysts said, extending a recovery from springtime lows reached last week. The markets were due to rise after recent fund liquidation and technical selling left the market oversold, analysts said. “The main thing is some short-covering here,” said Austin […] Read more


File photo of cattle in an Alberta feedlot. (Geralyn Wichers photo)

Klassen: Cash feeder prices soften on futures market uncertainty

Supplies are higher than expected as consumers reign in spending

The live and feeder cattle futures appear to be incorporating a risk discount due to the uncertainty in demand. Consumers are pulling in the reigns on spending. Interest rates are at 40 year highs and inflation remains elevated. Larger supplies and lower demand results in lower prices.

CBOT January 2024 soybeans with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Chicago soy soars on Chinese buying, Brazilian weather

Corn futures rise on U.S. sales to Mexico

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago soybean futures sharply rallied on Monday on Chinese demand and scorching heat in Brazil, where farmers are expected to face crop-stressing temperatures over the next several days. Meanwhile, corn futures rose on technical trading and support from news of Mexico buying U.S. grain — a move up that also gave […] Read more

CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME cattle up off last week’s sell-off

Lean hog futures also turn higher

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle and feeder futures advanced on Monday in a rebound from recent declines to multi-month lows. Short-covering helped boost the markets, as losses driven by fund liquidation and technical selling last week were overdone, brokers said. The U.S. beef industry still faces tight supplies of cattle, after […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Chicago corn slumps on forecast for record-large crop

Crude oil recovery lends some support to grains

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago corn futures posted a third straight weekly decline on Friday, as traders reacted to a government forecast that U.S. farmers will produce a record-large crop this year. Wheat was lower, following corn. Commodity funds hold a sizeable net short position in Chicago wheat futures, leaving the market prone to volatility […] Read more

CME February 2024 live cattle with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. livestock: CME live cattle mixed, feeder cattle firm

Lean hogs up with pork cutout

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures ended the week mixed on Friday, as traders and analysts said technical and algorithmic trading sent contract prices whipsawing during the session. Feeder cattle futures firmed as Chicago corn futures posted a third straight weekly decline, as grain markets continued to react to a […] Read more

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

U.S. livestock: Cattle sell-off sends nearby contracts plunging

CME hogs mixed in choppy trade

Chicago | Reuters — Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures fell sharply on Thursday, amid fund liquidation, growing concern over consumer demand and signs of prices falling in the cash market. Traders and funds scrambled to shed some of their long positions, after betting the bull market in cattle futures would continue well into the […] Read more


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

U.S. grains: Chicago grain, soy futures drop after USDA forecasts

China buys over one million tonnes of U.S. soy

Chicago | Reuters — The Chicago Board of Trade’s most-active corn futures plunged sharply on Thursday after the government reported that U.S. farmers will produce the biggest-ever corn crop this year. The report’s forecast topped trade estimates. The most-active CBOT corn contract at one point dipped to $4.66-1/2, the lowest price since Dec. 30, 2020, […] Read more

ICE January 2024 canola with 20-day moving average (yellow line, right column) and CBOT January 2024 soybeans (green line, left column). (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Soy complex supporting canola

'Canola has been largely pulled up'

MarketsFarm — Amid falling crude oil prices, canola prices are staying strong, largely due to the Chicago soy complex, according to a Calgary analyst. Errol Anderson of ProMarket Communications has been impressed with canola’s recent rise. The January contract on ICE Futures was as low at $672 per tonne on Nov. 2 before rising to […] Read more