Cattle futures post new highs, lean hog futures mixed

Cattle pressured by profit-taking and speculative selling
calendar icon 30 November 2021
clock icon 2 minute read

Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live cattle futures rose to new highs on Monday, but closed lower.

Live cattle futures hit multi-year highs yesterday, reported Reuters. But according to traders, profit-taking and technical selling stifled gains.

The spread of a new coronavirus variant sparked demand worries as livestock traders feared renewed restrictions on travel and restaurant occupancy.

But strong beef packer margins and elevated cash cattle prices continued to underpin the market.

"Cattle were pressured by profit-taking and speculative selling," said Doug Houghton, analyst with Brock Capital Management. "The market has been technically overbought and probably due for a correction."

"The COVID news ... was part of it too. There are demand concerns," he added.

CME February live cattle posted a contract high of 141.850 cents per pound but ended 1.900 cents lower at 139.300 cents per pound.

December live cattle finished 1.175 cents lower at 136.925 cents after peaking at 139.125 cents early in the day, the highest for a front-month contract since March 2016.

Feeder cattle futures followed live cattle lower despite sharply lower corn prices, normally a supportive factor.

CME January feeder cattle fell 1.425 cents to 165.725 cents per pound.

Lean hog futures ended mixed, with the actively traded February contract pressured by a weak cash market and deferred contracts supported by expectations for tighter supplies of hogs in 2022.

CME February lean hogs settled 0.100 cent lower at 80.925 cents per pound. Back months were up as much as 1.525 cents.

Source: Reuters

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