After the weekend blizzard that hit the Appalachians and the Eastern Seaboard with record snow accumulation, MarketResearch.com offered some insight into how such extreme weather can affect the economy. In its report, MarketResearch.com listed closures and delays, increased retail sales ahead of the storm, big-ticket purchases to prepare and reduce risk and reliance on the … Read More

Cash cattle prices last week were steady to $1 per cwt higher than the previous week, yet weekly wholesale beef prices were down, a mixture that makes little sense unless weather is added to the price formulas. Live cattle futures Tuesday settled moderately higher amid weather concerns as a new storm is forecast for the … Read More

While choice boxed beef cutout values from the USDA are below a year ago, they remain well above the 2010-2014 average, but whether prices follow the seasonal trend or last year remains to be seen, and the results could be significant for the cattle feeder. If seasonal tendencies hold, the value will test the first-week-in-January … Read More

After taking their net long live cattle position to the highest level in more than six months, large commodity funds in the week ended Tuesday cut their position by 3,314 contracts, or 14.4%, to 19,745 from 23,059. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s weekly Commitments Of Traders report Friday also said commercial traders, those who theoretically … Read More

At this point in the year it is difficult to draw accurate conclusions about how the markets will play out over the year, although many market analysts have tried.  The latest to weigh in is the USDA which this week projected increased per capita disappearance of red meat, poultry and eggs in 2016. Total red … Read More

The live cattle futures contract currently is in a downward trend channel and appears to be headed lower.  The nearby Feb contract could even test support at the contract low of $123.05 per cwt that was set Dec. 17. The contract violated the downward sloping channel support once on Jan. 15 by closing down the … Read More

Despite average fed cattle prices being up $1 per cwt last week, unhedged cattle feeder losses increased marginally last week, according to the Sterling Marketing Beef Profit Tracker, which is released through AgWeb. The estimates show average fed cattle losses totaled $387.70 a head, using the USDA’s five-area direct live-basis price of $133.49.  This is … Read More