Robin Schmahl

The livestock futures all traded lower Wednesday, except November feeder cattle. Pork cutouts and boxed beef prices declined, giving a lackluster feeling for trade for the remainder of the week.

An exciting start of the week with live cattle and feeder cattle futures trading limit higher. Expanded limits will be in place today, but not expected to be reached. However, a continuation of higher prices is likely. Hogs also had a...

Last week ended with a sharp decline in futures for both cattle and hogs, week-over-week. Traders are exiting long positions quickly as trading headlines has been a volatile game over the last few weeks.

There was little to support the cattle complex on Thursday. Live cattle tried to gain some traction, but negativity overwhelmed the market. Hogs continue to decline with the weak trend remaining intact.

The carnage resumed in cattle futures Wednesday with Katie-Bar-the-Door selling activity. The uncertainty was too much for traders holding long positions and they wanted to liquidate. Hogs drifted with contracts closing mixed and...

Cattle traders are going to struggle with the uncertainty of the market. Any news from the government pertaining to cattle will create substantial volatility. Hogs continue to see pressure as stability in cash and cutouts remains...

Cattle futures are on a roller coaster with volatile trade. It may be difficult for futures to trend higher, but prices may remain supported. Hog futures were mixed Monday, with traders uncertain if prices have found a bottom.

Cattle futures will have a difficult time turning the trend higher. The damage has been done to the emotional stability of the market. Price rallies are likely to be short-lived in the near term. Hog futures continue to struggle with...

Cattle futures spent time on both sides of unchanged Thursday, eventually closing with minor gains. Light cash trade indicates lower prices. Hog futures continued to struggle as packers remained unaggressive.

Cattle futures were oversold Wednesday and also found support after the news that cattle imports from Mexico will not resume anytime soon. Hog futures made a valiant attempt to hold gains, but were unable to find solid support.

It appears the liquidation phase may have run its course. Feeder cattle spent a portion of the day trading limit down, but did not hold through the end of Tuesday. Hog futures were unable to find support with continued pressure...

The desire to liquidate positions continued Monday. However, traders were not able to liquidate many positions in feeder cattle due to them being locked limit down. Hogs felt some of the pressure from cattle, but also showed...

Cattle futures were hit from different angles Friday with contracts limit down. It was a dismal end to a difficult week. Hog futures showed little change with traders uncertain of market direction.

The weakness of feeder cattle futures limited the strength in live cattle. Nearby live cattle futures are keeping close to the expectations for cash. Hog futures saw further pressure, pushing nearby contracts below support...

The rhetoric from the government has created much uncertainty for traders, triggering liquidation. Feeder cattle closed limit down with expanded trading limits today. Hog futures were mixed, with nearby contracts showing weakness...

It appears the cattle complex has considered the potential for government intervention in the cattle market and decided it would not have much impact. Hog futures found strength likely due to an oversold market and not because...

The cattle market digested the comments from President Trump last week and decided it was not going to change much for the beef industry. Live cattle did not follow through to the downside Monday, with further weakness in...

Cattle futures were hit hard Friday as a result of President Trump indicating the government had a plan to reduce beef prices. That statement triggered liquidation despite significantly higher cash trade. Hog futures close mixed...

There seems to be no stopping the rise in cattle futures. Price weakness is short-lived and confined to the intraday. Live cattle posted new contract highs again Thursday. Hog futures continued to struggle, still unable to find...

Cattle futures were in a tug-of-war on Wednesday, eventually closing mixed. Traders are waiting to see what cash will do. If cash is steady or higher, support will be maintained. Hogs had a strong beginning to Wednesday, but early...

The cattle market continued its incredible resilience Tuesday. Trading lower for a brief period before traders became aggressive buyers, pushing futures to new highs. Hog futures gapped lower on the open and never looked back.

There is no ceiling in the cattle market with new contract highs continuing daily. The strength Monday was due to continued optimism over higher prices. Hogs continued to struggle with nearby contracts higher and later contracts...

The cattle complex was lower in early trading Friday, influenced by the overall reaction to further announcements concerning China. That was overcome by stronger cash prices. Hog futures did not react much to the announcement...

Feeder cattle futures are on fire, increasing each day this week and reaching new contract highs. Feeder cattle have provided the spillover support for live cattle. Hogs have moved in the opposite direction as fundamental...

Cattle futures continued to push higher Wednesday. The April and later live cattle contacts made new highs, while all feeder cattle contracts made new highs. Traders exhibit renewed optimism. Hog futures were unable to find a solid...

Traders remained aggressive buyers in cattle futures contracts near the high in live cattle and new contract highs in deferred feeder cattle contracts on Tuesday. Hog traders did not like what they saw in pork cutouts and the...

Cattle found solid buying on Monday with the nearby feeder cattle contracts able to close the chart gaps. Boxed beef was higher in both categories. Hogs found support in the deferred contracts despite cutout weakness.

Cattle futures closed higher Friday despite cash cattle trading lower. The weakness of cash had already been factored in and short-covering took place ahead of the weekend. Hog futures closed higher after four consecutive days...

Both live and feeder cattle futures fell back to close at new lows for the week on Thursday. The continued decline in boxed beef is taking its toll. Hog futures fell further on continued weakness in cash and cutouts.

Cattle futures closed mixed Wednesday, torn between a tight cattle supply and lower beef prices. Nearby contracts were lower with deferred contracts higher. Hogs took it on the chin again, suffering triple-digit losses in the...

Feeder cattle led the charge higher Tuesday with live cattle reluctant to follow. Live cattle opened lower and traded lower for a time, but the strength of feeder cattle pulled them into positive territory. Hog futures moved in...

Volatility was limited Monday in comparison to what we have seen on many days. The cattle complex ended with minimal losses after spending some time posting gains. Hog futures diverged with minor pressure on contracts through May...

The lower cash cattle trade did not cause liquidation ahead of the weekend, as it had already been factored in. Traders may be cautious to begin the week. Hog futures showed resilience, supported by the Hogs & Pigs report...

Cattle futures were hit with two negative influences. Cash cattle traded lower, and boxed beef prices fell. Futures have fallen back significantly over the past three days. Hog futures made a valiant attempt at increasing but...

Selling pressure permeated throughout the livestock complex on Wednesday. The only exception was September feeder cattle, as today is the last trading day. Continued weakness in boxed beef and lower cash and cutouts for pork...

Live cattle futures showed some profit-taking and spread trading Tuesday, pressuring the nearby contracts. Feeder cattle held and extended the gains of Monday. Hog futures postd another strong day with all contracts making...

Traders gained confidence in the cattle maket Monday, encouraged by the bullish Cattle on Feed report. Buying was aggressive, pushing January and later feeder cattle contracts limit up. Hogs futures found support with June and...

Traders supported cattle futures into the close Friday and ahead of the Cattle on Feed report. The market ran out of steadm shortly after the previous report and the same may hold this time. Hog futures held onto slight gains...

Cattle futures defied the prospect of lower cash and the continued weakness of boxed beef to close higher Thursday. Tight cattle supplies seem to remain the focus. Hog futures were mixed after rejecting the significant loss...

It appears cattle futures have run out of steam as the weakness on Wednesday nearly eliminated the gains of the week. The expectation for lower cash and weak boxed beef provides the pressure. Hog futures had nothing positive...

Live cattle futures spent Tuesday in negative territory, while feeder cattle did spend some time higher, but could not hold. The recent downtrend seems difficult to turn. Boxed beef was very weak Tuesday. Hog futures were mixed...

Traders turned to aggressive buying Monday, but will it be enough to keep the momentum? The potential for lower cash cattle trade this week is looming. Hog futures were able to close with minor gains as traders are content to...

Lower cash cattle prices and weakness in boxed beef put pressure on cattle futures Friday. After a valiant attempt by traders to turn the market higher, the downtrend may resume. Hogs struggled in the nearby months as cash...

Live cattle futures regained more of the losses, while feeder cattle traders found the confidence to buy back into the market. The large decline on Tuesday was a knee-jerk reaction to the statement about lower beef prices by...

Live cattle and feeder cattle futures diverged, with pressure continuing on feeder cattle. Light cash trade points to lower prices this week. The party may be over for the time being. Hog futures showed strength in the nearby...

It was a "Katie, bar the door" selling event on Tuesday as a combination of things triggered heavy liquidation. Negative news was the catalyst that triggered the selling. Hog futures did not succumb to spillover pressure from...

Both live cattle and hogs traded similarly. Cattle futures tried to regain some of the losses of last week, but the effort failed as futures were unable to make a higher high during the trading day. Hog futures closed at new...

Live cattle closed lower for the week, which has been unusual for quite some time. Mixed cash trade may cause further liquidation. Hog futures resumed the uptrend after a brief retracement, posting new contract highs.

Cattle futures were under pressure most of the day Thursday. For the third day in a row, cattle were lower -- making it the first time in months we've seen cattle futures trade lower for over two consecutive days. Hog futures...

Cattle and hog futures were under pressure most of the day Wednesday. For the second day in a row, cattle were lower, starting September out with some profit taking. Hog futures took their first day lower in over a week.

Cattle futures saw late day pressure Tuesday with a disappointing close after a promising start to the day. Hogs took the driver's seat and allowed traders to close higher. Markets are expected to continue to climb in hogs and...

Cattle futures continued their quest for new highs last week in what seems like the never-ending rally. But what goes up, must come down eventually, but fundamentally, the tight numbers may still have upside to continue this week...

Traders pressured the August live cattle contract Thursday as we headed to the last trading day, with some positioning ahead of the extended weekend in later contracts. Hogs continued to slowly grind higher with demand optimism...

Livestock futures closed higher Wednesday with both cattle and hogs extending gains to new highs. A few cattle were traded in the country but not enough to indicate direction for the week. Cash hogs were higher but that may be...

The cattle market is possessed by a bullish sentiment that will not subside. Futures posted new contract highs again across the complex Tuesday. Hogs moved above technical resistance with the April and later months making new...

Cattle futures exhibited volatility with a wide trading range throughout Monday, resulting in a mixed close at the end of the day. Traders grappled with Friday's report and the news of the New World screwworm. Hog futures closed...

New contract highs were made in the cattle market Friday as traders anticipated a friendly Cattle on Feed report and were not shy about buying futures in response to higher cash paid in the country. Hogs followed suit, seemingly...

Both cattle and hog futures were mixed Thursday as there was little for traders to hang their hats on. Limited cash cattle trade and the upcoming report kept the cattle trade choppy. Hogs had little fundamental support.

Traders were not shy about pushing cattle futures to new contract highs Wednesday with feeder cattle leading the way. There was no caution shown over the upcoming Cattle on Feed report. Hog futures were mixed with traders...

Trading was not quite as exuberant Tuesday as it has been recently, but most live cattle contracts and all feeder cattle contracts closed at new highs. Hog futures closed mixed with uncertainty dominating the market. Cash was...

Cattle futures pushed higher Monday after spending a little time in negative territory. Most contracts closed at new highs, fueled by strong demand. Hogs closed slightly higher, which was impressive given the benign fundamentals of...

Friday was an explosive day in the cattle market as the announcement that the Mexican border will remain closed propelled the market higher. Light cash cattle trade at steady to higher prices also provided support. Hogs...