For the 11th straight week, managed money, or large commodity investment funds, lowered their net long holdings of live cattle futures contracts, according to data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
The CFTC made its data for the week ended Tuesday known Friday in its weekly Commitments of Traders report.
The COT report said managed money had cut its net long cattle position to 72,065 contracts from 79,375 the previous week, a decline of 7,310, or 9.21%. This is the lowest net long position managed money has held in live cattle futures in more than a year.
The latest high position was as of Tuesday, Nov. 7, when it was 131,685 contracts. The latest number is a drop of 59,620 contracts, or 45.3%.
At the same time, commercial traders, mostly hedgers who theoretically could make or take delivery of a futures contract, cut their net short live cattle futures position by 3,512 contracts, or 1.97%, to 174,752 contracts from 178,264. It was the smallest net short position for these traders since the week ended Sep. 26 when it was 170,937 contracts.
The CFTC said managed money arrived at its new cattle position by liquidating 3,562 long positions while adding 3,748 short positions and 2,024 spread positions. This left them representing 25.7% of total long open interest, 5.3% of total short open interest and 10.2% of total spread open interest.
Commercials got to their new positions by adding 2,881 long positions and covering 631 short positions, leaving them in control of 8.8% of total long open interest and 58.2% of total short open interest.
The CME Group said total live cattle open interest during the latest CFTC reporting week rose to 353,694 contracts from 345,910 the previous week. This is a rise of 7,784 contracts, or 2.25%.
During the week ended Tuesday, the most-active Apr contract fell to a cycle low of $118.05 per cwt from the previous Tuesday close of $119.52 before ending on Tuesday at $120.37.
FUNDS BOOST NET SHORT CORN POSITION
Meanwhile, managed money increased its net short corn futures position to its largest in more than a year – 225,063 contracts. This is the third straight increase in their net short position, coming from 216,832 contracts the previous week, a gain of 8,231, or 3.80%.
Commercial traders trimmed their net short corn position by 3,737 contracts, or 2.45%, to 148,772 contracts from 152,509 the previous Tuesday.
The CFTC said managed money arrived at its new corn position by adding 8,667 long positions, 16,898 short positions while trimming 452 spread positions. This left them with 13.0% of total long open interest, 26.8% of total short open interest and 10.0% of total spread open interest.
Commercials added 19,001 long positions and 15,264 short positions.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
Cash cattle traded early last week at $118 to mostly $120 per cwt on a live basis, about steady with the bulk of last week’s action, and then at $123 on Friday, up about $3. On a dressed basis, cattle traded at $192 to $193 early, steady to up $1 and then at $195 on Friday, up $3.
Only 108 cattle traded Wednesday on the Livestock Exchange video auction at $119.75 per cwt, up $0.75 from the previous week.
The USDA’s choice cutout Friday was down $0.83 per cwt at $204.86, while select was off $0.71 at $200.16. The choice/select spread narrowed to $4.70 from $4.82 with 80 loads of fabricated product sold into the spot market.
The CME Feeder Cattle index for the seven days ended Thursday was $148.01 per cwt, up $1.54. This compares with Friday’s Jan settlement of $147.95, down $1.22.