Large commodity investment funds, called managed money, continued moving their collective net long live cattle futures position toward zero in the week ended Tuesday as producers continued covering short positions.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission made the data available in its weekly Commitments of Traders report Friday.
In the report, the CFTC said managed money’s net long live cattle futures position was 48,890 contracts, down 22,942, or 31.9%, from 71,832 the previous Tuesday and the fifth straight week of declining positions.
At the same time, commercial traders, mostly cattle producers and thus mostly hedgers, reduced their collective net short live cattle futures positions to 150,778 contracts from 164,291 the previous Tuesday, a decline of 13,513, or 8.23%.
The CBTF said managed money arrived at its new net long cattle position by liquidating 7,654 long positions, adding 15,288 short positions and unwinding 1,518 spread positions. This left them representing 22.6% of total long open interest, 8.9% of total short open interest and 10.9% of total spread open interest.
The CFTC also said commercial traders got to where they were Tuesday by adding 5,368 long positions and covering 8,145 short positions, leaving them in control of 9.6% of total long open interest and 51.8% of total short open interest.
CME Group data showed that total live cattle open interest after Tuesday’s trading stood at 357,264 contracts, down only 1,980, or 0.55%, from 359,244 the previous week.
CME Group data further showed that the most-active Jun live cattle futures contract fell during the week ended Tuesday to close at $105.25 per cwt from $109.00, a drop of $3.75, or 3.44%.
FUNDS LIQUIDATE CORN POSITIONS
CFTC data showed that managed money liquidated corn futures during the week ended Tuesday for the second straight week as commercial traders covered short positions.
Managed money’s new net long corn futures position Tuesday was 108,839 contracts, down 98,537, or 47.5%, from 207,376 the previous Tuesday.
Meanwhile, commercial traders covered their own short positions for the second straight week, going to a net short position of 479,626 contracts from 544,533, a drop of 64,907, or 11.9%.
The CFTC said managed money arrived at its new net long corn position by liquidating 60,418 long positions, adding 38,119 short positions and unwinding 10,869 spread positions. This left them representing 16.6% of total long open interest, 10.8% of total short open interest and 7.7% of total spread open interest.
Commercials got to where they were Tuesday by adding 18,473 long positions and covering 46,434 short positions to leave them in control of 24.2% of total long open interest and 50.1% of total short open interest.
The CME Group said total corn open interest slid during the CFTC week to 1.852 million contracts from 1.881 million, a decline of 28,935, or 1.54%.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
No cattle sold Wednesday on the Livestock Exchange Video Auction last week, after 166 head sold a week earlier at $125.63 per cwt, down $98.63 from a week earlier.
Cash sales last week ranged from $119 to $121.50 per cwt on a live basis, down $4.50 to $5 from the previous week. Dressed-basis trading last week was around $192 per cwt, down $8 to $11.
The USDA’s choice cutout Friday was up $0.04 per cwt at $221.04, while select was off $0.99 at $208.69. The choice/select spread widened to $12.35 from $11.32 with 85 loads of fabricated product sold into the spot market.
The CME Feeder Cattle index for the seven days ended Wednesday, was $136.21 per cwt, down $0.02. This compares with Thursday’s Apr settlement of $133.32, down $4.50.