Live cattle futures increased by 82 cents to $1.22 on Wednesday, with cash trade reporting light sales at $229. The Fed Cattle Exchange recorded dressed sales between $230.5 and $232 for 599 out of 1,198 head offered. Feeder cattle futures rose by 70 to 80 cents, closing at $348.44 on December 30.
As of December 23, the Commitment of Traders data indicated a net long position of 94,868 contracts for spec traders in live cattle, an increase of 3,565 contracts for the week. Managed money held a net long position of 14,629 contracts in feeder cattle.
USDA’s latest reports showed beef exports at 2,117 metric tons for 2025 and 9,439 metric tons for 2026, with shipments reaching a four-week high of 17,108 metric tons. On Wednesday, the USDA estimated a cattle slaughter of 85,000 head, bringing the total for the week to 325,000 head.
