Chicago | Reuters — CME livestock futures were mixed on Tuesday, with hog contracts falling on a round of profit taking while cattle contracts firmed on bargain buying.
The benchmark December lean hog contract faced pressure after hitting its highest since Sept. 13, 2019, while February live cattle, which had fallen for four days in a row, recovered after bottoming out at its lowest since June 29.
January feeder cattle firmed after hitting its lowest since April 15.
“We have had a significant break on the cattle technically and I think we just reached levels where we were oversold,” said Don Roose of U.S. Commodities in West Des Moines, Iowa.
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Declines in projected planting intentions for 2026/27 were not as big as the market expected, after the United States Department of Agriculture released its estimates on March 31. The USDA also issued its quarterly grain stocks report with stocks for soybeans bigger than anticipated, while those for corn were smaller and wheat virtually matched the average trade guess.
Gains in the cattle markets were muted by concerns that rising COVID-19 cases could keep people at home, which would slash restaurant demand for beef.
CME December lean hogs fell 2.175 cents to 69.25 cents/lb., the biggest daily drop in three weeks (all figures US$).
Support was noted around the contract’s 10-day moving average, a key technical point it has not traded below in two weeks.
CME February live cattle futures rose 0.475 cent to 108.65 cents/lb.
January feeder cattle gained 1.475 cents to 126.7 cents/lb
— Mark Weinraub is a Reuters commodities correspondent in Chicago.
