Managed money, a proxy for large speculators, liquidated live cattle contracts aggressively during the latest reporting week as producers increased their net short positions, resulting in a price top in Oct futures. During the week ended Tuesday, managed money reduced its net long positions in live cattle to 102,387 contracts, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission … Read More

As feeder and stocker cattle prices hit new highs almost daily, many buyers appear to be digging themselves deeper into a hole on returns, one from which many will never exit profitably.  They also could be expecting fed cattle prices to rise enough to overtake calculated losses. A case in point is a set of 390-pound … Read More

Consumer resilience to meat prices is being tested like never before, and more severe tests are likely over the next few years. With the beef industry trying to rebuild its herd after years of drought-reduced declines and the pork industry hit by the Porcine Epidemic diarrhea virus, meat prices are poised to work their way … Read More

Last week’s $8.00-per-cwt jump in cash fed cattle prices at first glance appears to have brought in many feeder cattle buyers from the sidelines.  But all is not as it seems. Futures prices are rising, sometimes sharply, to new highs after a hiatus in late June and early July that took the nearby Aug contract … Read More

The USDA’s Cattle-On-Feed and semi-annual Cattle Inventory reports underscore the tight supply situation in the cattle industry, a scenario that may not be resolved for at least another year, according to the top executive of Tyson Foods. Tyson’s Chief Executive Donnie Smith told investors Monday as its quarterly earnings were rolled out that a drop … Read More

Managed money continued the slow liquidation of its long live cattle futures positions in the week ended Tuesday, even though futures prices were rebounding from the most recent swing low, indicating a lack of confidence in the fledgling rally attempt. The CFTC reported that managed money during the week reduced its net long positions to … Read More

Packer buyers continue to find it hard to source adequate supplies of slaughter cattle, as evidenced by this week’s $6.00-per-cwt jump in prices paid in the Central and Southern Plains. Cattle traded at $162 per cwt on a live basis, up from a range of $155 to $157 last week as feedlot managers continue to … Read More