Lean hog futures settle up - CME
Live cattle futures end higher
10 March 2025
1 minute read
By: Live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) climbed to one-month highs on Friday, supported by firm cash cattle markets and resilient beef prices, Reuters reported, citing traders.
CME April live cattle settled up 4.000 cents at 200.275 cents per pound after reaching 200.950 cents, the contract's highest since February 6.
April feeder cattle futures rose 3.725 cents to close at 278.150 cents per pound while May feeders set a life-of-contract high at 278.675 cents.
Slaughter-ready cattle traded in Nebraska cash markets at $200 to $202 per hundredweight (cwt), traders and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said, up roughly $2 from last week.
On the beef side, the USDA priced choice cuts of boxed beef at $314.90 per cwt on Friday afternoon, up $1.78 from Thursday. The choice cutout price has not fallen below $310 since early December.
Hog futures also ended higher, buoyed by Thursday's news that US President Donald Trump temporarily exempted goods from Mexico from steep tariffs that he had imposed earlier in the week. Mexico is the largest buyer of US pork, and the tariff threats had raised fears of export disruptions.
CME's April lean hog contract settled up 0.700 cent at 87.350 cents per pound. June hogs ended up 1.075 cents at 98.100 cents after posting a one-week high at 99.100 cents.
