Live cattle futures settled Tuesday with most contracts 72.5 cents to $1.475 higher. Feeder cattle futures were 35 to 95 cents in the green on the day, with nearby Jan down a dime. The CME feeder cattle index was down $1.13 on December 3 at $146.72. Wholesale beef prices were mixed on Tuesday afternoon, widening the Ch/Se spread to $16.35. Choice boxes were up 78 cents at $213.86, with the Select cutout value $1.67 lower at $197.51. USDA revised last week’s slaughter down 3,000 head to 640,000. USDA’s estimated FI cattle slaughter is at 240,000 head WTD through Tuesday, up 4,000 head from last week and 2,000 head from a year ago. Wednesday’s FCE online auction is showing 219 head for sale.
Dec 18 Cattle closed at $117.775, up $0.900, |
Feb 19 Cattle closed at $121.650, up $1.475, |
Apr 19 Cattle closed at $122.900, up $1.275, |
Jan 19 Feeder Cattle closed at $144.400, down $0.100 |
Mar 19 Feeder Cattle closed at $141.850, up $0.400 |
Apr 19 Feeder Cattle closed at $142.900, up $0.550 |
--provided by Brugler Marketing & Management