Supply concerns drive live cattle to new contract high - CME
Firm cash hog prices help boost futures
27 October 2022
2 minute read
By: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures closed higher and reached a new contract high on Wednesday amid concerns about tightening US supplies, Reuters reported, citing brokers.
Strong recent gains have left the market technically overbought and due for a setback, brokers said.
"We've had a nice rally here," said Matt Wiegand, commodity broker for FuturesOne. "We're set up for a short-term correction."
Most actively traded December live cattle ended 0.275 cent higher at 153.575 cents per lb. February live cattle closed up 0.325 cent at 157.025 cents and set a contract high of 157.075 cents.
CME November feeder cattle ended 0.900 cent higher at 178.825 cents per lb, while January feeders closed up 1 cent at 181.250 cents per lb.
A monthly US Department of Agriculture cattle report, issued last Friday, confirmed there were 1% fewer of the animals in feedlots at the start of the month, compared to a year earlier. Placements of cattle into feedlots during September were down 4% from a year earlier, the report said.
In the pork sector, firm cash hog prices helped boost futures, brokers said.
December lean hog futures crept 0.050 cent higher to close at 88.500 cents per lb. February hogs rose 0.325 cent to 91.00 cents per lb and hit their highest price since September 21.
The USDA quoted the U.S. pork carcass cutout value at $97.74 per cwt, down $0.75 from Tuesday.
On Thursday, traders will review weekly USDA data on pork and beef exports.
