Robin Schmahl

Cattle futures found support through short-covering and technical buying due to being oversold, as well as a good weekly export sales report. Hog futures remained in positive territory for much of Thursday but weakened into the...

The only green on the screen Wednesday was the October lean hog contract. The rest of the livestock complex was again under pressure as liquidation continued. Lingering pressure continued on demand concerns.

Pressure continued Tuesday in the livestock complex with hogs feeling the brunt of it. Cash cattle traded steady with last week, setting the tone for the rest of the week. Packers paid up for hogs Tuesday, but that did not...

The livestock complex felt the pressure from the outside markets Monday regardless of any positive fundamentals. Higher cattle futures did not last long as selling erupted, permeating throughout the contracts. Hogs fell out of...

Commodities in general were lower across the board as fears of a recession dominated the livestock markets. The uncertainty of the Cattle on Feed report also put pressure on the market. Hogs found no support at all with...

Live cattle futures retreated even though cash traded higher. The higher trade was factored in with traders looking ahead to the Cattle on Feed report. Hogs showed further weakness as packers were unwilling to pay up for hogs...

Live cattle futures tried to post gains but eventually succumbed to selling pressure. Between the interest rate hike and the upcoming Cattle on Feed report, there was little to maintain support. Hogs turned tail, unable to maintain...

Live cattle closed mixed Tuesday with only October showing a solid gain. Traders are friendly but cautious. Feeder cattle fell back as corn futures pushed higher. Hog futures chopped around, unable to maintain the highs with...

Live cattle floundered much of Monday, trading in a narrow range as traders searched for direction. There is optimism for higher cash, but caution is being exercised. Hogs moved somewhat similar to cattle with futures able to post...

Steady to higher cash had already been factored into live cattle futures, leaving little else for traders to anticipate prior to the weekend. Hogs found some strength despite the significant decline of cash as technical trade...

Live cattle received a shot in the arm Thursday when cash traded steady to $1.00 higher. Traders had been anticipating stronger cash and bought more aggressively once it was seen. Hog futures defied the weakness of both cash...

Live cattle drifted Wednesday as traders waited for cash activity, which did not surface as feedlots and packers held their bids and offers without compromise. Feeders were higher as minor strength stemmed from lower corn. Hogs...

Cattle struggled with live cattle not seeing any cash activity and concern over inflation as well as the impact from a possible rail strike. Feeder cattle fell despite the slight decline of corn. Hogs finally saw some aggressive...

Live cattle traded in a somewhat tight price range with traders uncertain of the strength of cash this week. Feeder cattle were under pressure due to the strength of corn. Hogs saw some unwinding of spreads with heavy selling...

The livestock complex was higher across the board to close out last week. It seemed the weakness of the U.S. dollar provided the strength. The livestock complex itself did not have much support from cash.

The steam was taken out of the cattle market Thursday as cash trade was disappointing. Packers played their cards right and were able to buy cattle at steady to lower prices. Hogs just cannot get a break without better cash...

Cattle could not follow through on the recent strength of the previous two days. Wednesday's action puts higher cash in question as packers still have not stepped up to the plate to purchase. Hogs showed impressive gains early...

The livestock complex uncovered some buying interest Tuesday. Traders are optimistic cash will be higher this week, supported by higher boxed beef to begin the week. Hog futures were higher as cutouts showed promise and...

Live cattle futures were able to break the downtrend Friday, showing impressive gains. This may have been tied more to short-covering rather than a change in trend. Hog futures did not follow a short-covering pattern into the...

Live cattle futures were able to hold their own Thursday despite cash trading lower and in line with the light trade that developed on Wednesday. Feeder cattle futures were able to gain on lower corn. Hog futures held well despite...

There was general pressure on the livestock complex despite the weakness of corn futures. Live cattle came under pressure as a result of lower cash trade developing. Hogs were under pressure from lackluster packer interest so...

The livestock complex found support from both the fundamental and technical sides of the market. Cattle were supported by weaker corn prices and continued strong slaughter pace. Hogs moved higher on continued short-covering...

Feeder cattle were under significant pressure again due to strong corn prices. Live cattle floundered, unable to generate buying interest as traders focused on the impact feed prices may have on cattle movement. Hog futures...

Cattle paddled against the wind on Friday as soaring corn prices created resistance. Added to that was the weakness of cash cattle trade leaving the market struggling to find footing. Hogs may have found support but with lower...

There was no real change in cash cattle trade Thursday, leaving little for the market to trade on other than the weakness of corn, which provided support to feeder cattle. Hogs were able to close higher after some initial...

Cattle continue to bleed lower as there is little fundamental news to support futures after the upside chart in the October contract was closed last week. Steady to lower cash is weighing on the market. Hogs took another...

Live cattle again held in the face of strong corn futures as they continue to shrug off the bearish Cattle on Feed report. Feeder cattle succumbed to higher corn futures with mostly triple-digit losses. Hogs were under some...

Live cattle contracts through December closed lower but held well considering the bearishness of the Cattle on Feed report on Friday. Feeder cattle followed a similar pattern with higher grain prices providing some pressure. Hogs...

Traders positioned themselves ahead of the Cattle on Feed report but may not have positioned themselves enough. Traders were wary that the report could show a surprise as has generally been the case, and it was. Hogs were...

Cattle futures could not hold in positive territory even though cash traded higher as expected. Traders may have been preparing for the Cattle on Feed report. Hogs could not find anything to grab onto with cash under pressure...

The livestock complex closed higher, supported by stronger cash. Live cattle did not see much trade due to feedlots holding for higher prices. Hogs gained as cash was higher even after the large increase on Tuesday.

Cattle rallied Tuesday on the potential for significantly higher cash while hogs fell apart. Some support for cattle stemmed from another day of lower corn futures but mostly from initial light trade indicating higher cash. Hogs...

The cattle complex could not find solid support Monday even though corn futures were significantly lower. Feeder cattle tried to rally early in trading but fell back into negative territory, except for the August contract. Hogs...

Livestock futures weakened into the close of last week with little more to generate trading interest. Cash cattle traded higher for the week and limited business left to accomplish. Higher corn price put pressure on feeders...

Live cattle found buying interest as cash moved higher than the early trend indicated. Feeder cattle slipped under the pressure of higher corn futures. Hogs spent some time in negative territory but finally found strength to...

Livestock were higher across the board Wednesday. Light cash cattle trade pointed to the potential for higher cash for the week. Demand for feeder cattle is strong with tighter numbers. Hogs traded the higher cash from...

Feeder cattle led the cattle complex lower Tuesday. Again, it reacted to stronger corn prices as usual and not what the actual internal fundamentals suggest. Traders remain cautious over whether cash cattle will trade higher this...

Live cattle were cautiously higher Monday. Feeder cattle capitalized on lower corn futures providing some spillover support. Traders are uncertain whether higher cash will materialize. Hogs were very strong with front-month August...

Cash cattle managed to trade higher Thursday but had limited impact on futures. There seems to be guarded interest in anticipating higher cash with traders mainly waiting until it develops. Hogs reacted to the strong cash on...

Cattle futures found support Wednesday from cash cattle trading steady. This eliminated the fear of lower cash and provided a catalyst for higher futures. Feeder cattle kept pace with matching gains. Hog futures moved higher...

Cattle could not get their legs under them. Corn futures were lower but that did not provide any support Tuesday. Traders were concerned over the visit to Taiwan and the weakness of boxed beef. Hogs traded without much...

Cattle closed higher Monday due to lower corn prices. That leaves the market little to go on Tuesday as cash is not expected to show much, if any, activity. Hog futures were mixed as they did not find solid direction from either...

Even though live cattle futures closed higher Friday, trading was somewhat lackluster. Feeder cattle reversed the initial negative trade to post a nice rebound for the day, but were significantly lower for the week. Hogs continued...

The cattle complex did not see much in the way of trend Thursday with futures trading in a rather tight range. Lower cash put more pressure on live cattle while higher corn prices put pressure on feeder cattle. Hog traders...

Live cattle did not have much to go on Wednesday with futures trading in a tight range. Further development of cash resulted in lower prices in all areas. Feeder cattle found some strength from the limited strength of corn. Hogs...

Live cattle drifted lower as traders saw a stronger potential for lower cash trade this week. Feeder cattle were again under pressure due to the surge of corn prices. Hogs just could not find any strong buying interest with...

Cattle opened substantially lower Monday, but rebounded throughout the day, closing slightly higher in contracts through April. Feeder cattle could not shake the strength of corn and closed with triple-digit losses. Hog futures...

Cattle futures posted a strong Friday. Lower corn futures and positioning ahead of the Cattle on Feed and Bi-annual Cattle Inventory reports dominated much of trading. August hogs pushed sharply higher, while later contracts...

Live cattle just could not find solid support even though corn futures were significantly lower. Further cash business took place, but in line with what transpired Wednesday. Hogs were lower with the exception of August as it...

Live cattle could not generate strong buying interest as the hope for higher cash slipped away. Feeder cattle could not capitalize on lower corn prices as traders began turning their attention to the upcoming Cattle on Feed...

True to form, feeder cattle traders responded to lower corn futures through buying the market aggressively, leaving a price gap on the open. Live cattle found spillover support as well as a slight indication of the possibility of...

The livestock complex was generally higher Monday with hogs leading the way. Hogs are not influenced as much as cattle are by corn prices. Hogs are influenced more by cash and cutouts. Lower corn overnight may provide support...

There may not be much to go on today in the cattle market. Cash business generally does not take place on Monday, leaving traders looking for some direction from boxed beef or other news. Feeder cattle might see some pressure...

Cattle could not maintain the strength of the first half of the week. However, feeder cattle broke through chart resistance this week with impressive gains while live cattle were unable to penetrate resistance. Hogs followed a...

Live cattle closed higher with spillover support from feeder cattle. Light cash trading activity developed Wednesday, indicating steady prices may be the best we can hope for this week. Hogs gapped higher Wednesday in nearby...

Feeder cattle carried the cattle complex Tuesday with prices moving back to the highest level since March. Live cattle followed somewhat reluctantly, closing with moderate gains. Hog futures struggled despite higher cash and cutouts.

Cattle found their legs Monday, even though corn closed higher. August rallied to reduce the discount it carried to cash along with hopes that cash will trade steady to higher. Hogs struggled throughout Monday, unable to break...

Cattle struggled Friday due to higher corn futures and a disappointing export sales report. Hog futures showed further unwinding of spreads, which lifted some contracts to triple-digit gains in 2023 contracts.

Live cattle were able to keep their head above water in general and hold the gains of the previous day. However, feeder cattle succumbed to the higher corn prices. Hog futures performed well but August and later contracts could...

Cattle futures redeemed themselves yesterday by regaining most of the losses from Tuesday, but it did not provide much technical direction for traders. Cash activity should take place today. Hog futures found the favor of...

Commodities were hit hard yesterday across the board with July, August and October hog futures being the only positive contracts in a sea of red. Cattle could not find strength from substantially lower corn futures leaving the...

Cattle were able to close higher Friday mostly due to traders positioning for the extended weekend. Cash business had generally been done for the with little else for go on to finish out the week. Hogs were a mixed bag with...