Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures lost ground on Wednesday on weakness in the pork cutout, according to analysts, while cattle futures also retreated on falling wholesale prices.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures gained strength on Tuesday on technical trading, analysts said, while lean hog futures rose for a second day as traders anticipated growing export demand.
The return of drought in U.S. cattle-producing areas is delaying ranchers' plans to expand production after the nation's herd shrank to its smallest level in seven decades, farmers and analysts said.
The weaker Canadian dollar has enhanced the feeding margin structure on incoming replacement calves and this translated into stronger values on premium genetic packages. Finishing feedlot operators in Alberta and Ontario were fairly aggressive in Manitoba and Saskatchewan markets.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures firmed slightly on Thursday as stocks hit record highs on Wall Street for a second day, providing borrowed strength to the livestock markets, analysts said.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures fell to their lowest level in more than a week on Tuesday as profit-taking extended the market's setback from contract highs last week, analysts said.
For the week ending November 2, Western Canadian yearling and calf markets were relatively unchanged from seven days earlier. Strong demand continues to support the feeder complex at historical high prices.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange lean hog futures pulled back from contract highs on Thursday as traders booked profits ahead of the end of a month, traders said.