Monday Morning Livestock Market Update - Increased Trading Limits for Cattle Take Effect

GENERAL COMMENTS:

Cattle futures closed lower for the week as market sentiment seems to have changed. Futures have struggled to sustain price strength on some days. Boxed beef prices have shown more sustained weakness since the holiday. Boxed beef prices were lower on Friday, with choice down $0.85 and select down $2.40. Cash cattle traded lower, with Southern live cattle averaging $3.00 lower and Northern dressed cattle $5.00 lower. Packers were not aggressive with cash nor were they aggressive in volume last seek. Either demand is slowing noticeably or packers are pulling back due to their margins being significantly in the red. Some new cases of the New World screwworm (NWS) have been found about 55 miles from the U.S. border, which will continue to keep the border closed for cattle imports. Increased daily trading limits will take effect today. The daily limit for cattle will be $8.50 with an expanded limit of $12.75. Feeder cattle will have a daily limit of $10.25 with expanded limits of $16.00. The Commitment of Traders report showed fund traders reducing their long live cattle position by 7,205 to a net long of 120,542. Funds were net sellers of 7,856 futures contracts in feeder cattle, reducing their net long to 10,963.

Hog futures eliminated the gains realized during the week, with contracts falling back to the lows. Packers were not aggressive last week, with a light cash trade on Friday. The National Daily Direct Afternoon Hog report declined $0.41. They may need to step up more aggressively this week and may begin buying early. Pork cutout values were higher, but that had little impact on the market. Futures declined to and closed at or near support. This could generate short-term buying interest as traders attempt to buy off of technical support to make a quick profit this week. The Commitment of Traders report showed fund traders liquidating 21,378 long futures contracts. They are holding a net-long position of 1,432 contracts.

	BULL SIDE		BEAR SIDE
1)	Live cattle futures hold a significant discount to cash. This will not be sustained with futures potentially increasing.	1)	Increasing daily price limits may cause an increase in liquidation as margins will increase and speculators will have more risk.
2)	August feeder cattle have a chart gap above the market that will be filled at some point.	2)	Boxed beef prices show signs of weakness as demand may be slowing.
3)	Hogs moved back to support on Friday. Traders may buy in anticipation of a short-term trade to take a quick profit from the market.	3)	If hog futures are unable to find support at the current level, further liquidation could unfold.
4)	Packers may be aggressive to begin the week, as buying was light last week. They may need to step up more aggressively.	4)	Fund traders are nearly net short in the hog market, where it has not been for some time. The sentiment of bearish.

Friday Closing Livestock Market Update - Weaker Tones Dominate the Complex

GENERAL COMMENTS:

All in all, it was a disappointing day for the livestock complex, as little support developed and all three livestock markets ended the day lower. Throughout the day, Southern live cattle were marked at mostly $256 to $257, but mostly at $257, which is $3.00 lower than last week's weighted average and Northern dressed cattle traded at mostly $405, which is $5.00 lower than last week's weighted average. July corn is down 9 cents per bushel and July soybean meal is down $4.30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 363.49 points and the NASDAQ is up 55.15 points.

From Friday to Friday, livestock futures scored the following changes: June live cattle down $1.05, August live cattle down $0.55; August feeder cattle down $1.43, September feeder cattle down $1.55; June lean hogs up $0.10, July lean hogs down $0.90; July corn down $0.17, and September corn down $0.14.

LIVE CATTLE:

Without sufficient fundamental support this week, traders felt their only logical option was to push the contracts lower through Friday's closing bell. June live cattle closed $1.50 lower at $248.25, August live cattle closed $1.95 lower at $239.05 and October live cattle closed $2.15 lower at $230.42. Throughout the day, Southern live cattle were marked at mostly $256 to $257, but mostly at $257, which is $3.00 lower than last week's weighted average and Northern dressed cattle traded at mostly $405, which is $5.00 lower than last week's weighted average. 

Friday's slaughter is estimated at 105,000 head -- 6,000 head more than a week ago and 13,000 head less than a year ago. Saturday's slaughter is projected to be around 14,000 head. The week's total slaughter is estimated at 448,000 head -- incomparable to a week ago but 39,000 head less than a year ago.

Boxed beef prices closed lower: choice down $0.85 ($391.47) and select down $2.40 ($383.18) with a movement of 83 loads (45.71 loads of choice, 8.89 loads of select, 14.99 loads of trim and 13.04 loads of ground beef).

MONDAY'S CATTLE CALL: Steady. It's a tough market to try to predict right now, as one could logically argue that prices could trend lower next week, as boxed beef prices traded mixed this past week, and packers were able to get cattle bought cheaper. But one could also say that with showlists so thin, packers will need to remain aggressive in order to ensure that they have enough supply for the week ahead.

FEEDER CATTLE:

The feeder cattle contracts also fell lower throughout the day as the market continues to align its movement closely with the live cattle contracts' behavior. August feeders closed $4.60 lower at $348.42, September feeders closed $4.90 lower at $345.35 and October feeders closed $4.97 lower at $342.02. The Oklahoma Weekly Cattle Auction Summary shared that compared to last week, feeder steers traded steady to $5.00 higher, while feeder heifers sold $1.00 to $6.00 lower. Steer calves over 500 pounds sold $6.00 to $8.00 higher, but steers under 500 pounds traded $10.00 to $15.00 lower. Heifer calves sold unevenly steady. Slaughter cows traded $1.00 to $2.00 lower, but lean cows sold $5.00 higher. Slaughter bulls traded $5.00 lower. The CME feeder cattle index 5/28/2026: up $3.77, $373.40.

LEAN HOGS:

The lean hog complex sank lower through Friday's close as traders merely wiped their hands of the complex ahead of the weekend's arrival. And yes, one may try to point to the mere $0.34 increase in the afternoon pork cutout price and say that consumer support improved, but it was too little and too late to have any grand effect on the marketplace. June lean hogs closed $1.12 lower at $95.85, July lean hogs closed $2.62 lower at $99.50 and August lean hogs closed $2.57 lower at $98.35. Hog prices closed lower on the Daily Direct Afternoon Hog Report, down $0.41 with a weighted average price of $93.23 on 1,425 head. Pork cutouts totaled 406.17 loads with 350.20 loads of pork cuts and 55.97 loads of trim. Pork cutout values: up $0.34, $99.45. Friday's slaughter is estimated at 477,000 head -- 73,000 head more than a week ago and 4,000 head more than a year ago. Saturday's slaughter is projected to be around 253,000 head. The CME lean hog index 5/27/2026: down $0.34, $90.92.

MONDAY'S HOG CALL: Lower. Packers rarely buy much in the market on Mondays.

Friday Midday Livestock Market Update - Weaker Tones Send Contracts Lower

GENERAL COMMENTS:

The livestock complex is trading lower into Friday's noon hour as the market simply doesn't have enough support to turn the futures higher. There's been a thin movement of cattle noted in Texas at $256, but otherwise the cash market hasn't seen much trade either. July corn is down 7 3/4 cents per bushel and July soybean meal is down $4.60. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 380.17 points and NASDAQ is up 98.59 points.

LIVE CATTLE:

The live cattle complex continues to scale lower as the market simply isn't seeing the level of fundamental support it needs. With the attitude around the cash market seeming as though prices are going to be lower this week -- and with midday boxed beef prices lower -- traders don't have enough fundamental support to justify advancing the contracts. June live cattle are down $1.17 at $248.57, August live cattle are down $1.42 at $239.57 and October live cattle are down $1.90 at $230.67. Some light cash cattle trade is being reported in Texas at $256, which is $4.00 lower than last week's weighted average. A few more bids are now being offered, but no more sales have been confirmed. Asking prices are noted in Nebraska at $410 but are not identified in the South. More trade will need to develop throughout Friday.

Boxed beef prices are lower: choice down $0.26 ($392.06) and select down $2.26 ($383.32) with a movement of 60 loads (33.07 loads of choice, 8.13 loads of select, 7.19 loads of trim and 11.49 loads of ground beef).

FEEDER CATTLE:

Upon seeing the live cattle contracts drift lower, the feeder cattle contracts didn't even attempt to trade higher and are also lower heading into Friday's noon hour. August feeders are down $4.32 at $348.70, September feeders are down $4.57 at $345.67 and October feeders are down $4.77 at $342.22. A lower tone is likely to remain the market's theme through Friday as fundamental support simply isn't surfacing.

LEAN HOGS:

The lean hog contracts are also trading lower into Friday's noon hour as traders are merely wiping their hands of the market ahead of the weekend. June lean hogs are down $0.95 at $96.02, July lean hogs are down $2.05 at $100.07, and August lean hogs are down $2.05 at $98.87. Yes, midday pork cutout values are a tick higher -- but at this point it's too little support showing up too late in the week to make a difference.

The projected CME Lean Hog Index is delayed from the source. Hog prices are not available right now as the USDA is experiencing technical difficulties and the report has not been published. Pork cutouts total 314.52 loads with 261.97 loads of pork cuts and 52.55 loads of trim. Pork cutout values: up $0.91, $100.02.

Friday Morning Livestock Market Update - Traders Wait for Cash Direction

GENERAL COMMENTS:

Traders were not able to find any specific fundamental reason to support cattle futures. Cash has not traded sufficiently to provide solid direction for the week. Early strength on Thursday waned as traders could not find support. Fundamentally, cattle supplies are tight, but that is old news. If demand slows, it will not make any difference that supplies are tight. The slaughter pace is lower, but cattle weights are higher. This results in a steady beef supply despite the lower pace. Boxed beef prices have decreased since early in the week. On Thursday, choice boxed beef declined $2.40, with select down $3.71.

Hogs closed moderately higher, except for the June and July contracts. There was no solid fundamental reason for futures to move higher, as packers remained unaggressive in the cash market. The National Daily Direct Afternoon Hog report was down $1.00. It is uncertain whether packers will need more hogs to finish out the week. It was expected that they would increase slaughter to make up for the holiday-shortened week, but that does not seem to be the case. Pork cutout values were up $0.76, but that will have a limited positive impact on the market today. Weekly hog weights averaged 291.1 pounds.

	BULL SIDE		BEAR SIDE
1)	If the cash cattle trade is no worse than steady, futures are likely to increase as there is a significant discount to cash.	1)	Cattle futures have had difficulty holding gains as traders are concerned about the ongoing beef demand.
2)	There remains a strong demand for feeder cattle, with feedlots paying a premium for animals to put on feed.	2)	Packers may remain unaggressive in the cash market today, which may result in lower cash cattle trade.
3)	Hog futures remain oversold and should see further short covering to correct the market.	3)	Other than hog futures correcting from being oversold, there is little else for traders to turn bullish.
4)	Weekly hog weights declined by 0.2 pounds to an average of 291.1 pounds. Further decline is expected to move through the summer.	4)	Weekly hog weights are 3.1 pounds higher than a year ago. There are sufficient hogs and plenty of pork available for demand.