CME cattle futures firm on corn weakness, expected holiday demand

By P.J. Huffstutter

CHICAGO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures turned higher on technical trading on Monday, as live cattle contracts rose on expected consumer demand and hopes of some cash market prices firming, traders said.

Meanwhile, feeder cattle futures gained support from weakness in the corn market, traders said.

Chicago Board of Trade corn futures fell to the lowest point since 2020 on Monday as expectations of a bumper corn crop and a continued stream of farmer selling weighed on futures, analysts said.

Most-active CME October feeder cattle finished 3.100 cents higher at 237.475 cents per pound. CME most-active October live cattle closed up 1.275 cents at 176.075 cents per pound.

Market analysts said that cash market prices in the north and the south are expected to begin to narrow, and consumer demand for beef is likely to firm ahead of the Labor Day holiday.

Prices for choice cuts of boxed beef rose on Monday afternoon, while select cuts declined, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Lean hog futures eased on negative seasonal patterns - including hefty animal weights - and ongoing concerns over consumer demand, traders said.

CME October lean hog futures ended down 0.150 cent to 80.400 cents per pound.

Friday's cold storage report from USDA also added some pressure on lean hog futures, market analysts said, even though stocks were down.

USDA reported that as of the end of July, the total frozen pork inventory came in at 450.7 million pounds, down 5% from June and a 4% drop from the same time a year earlier. Meanwhile, stocks of pork bellies fell 30% from the previous month - and down 17% from July 2023.

"The thing is, the amount of pork in storage is still ample, and the demand isn't keeping up with where the market would like it to be, so that's a bit negative," said Don Roose, president of US Commodities LLC. (Reporting by P.J. Huffstutter; Editing by Maju Samuel)