**Live Cattle and Feeder Cattle Futures Update**
On Monday, live cattle futures increased by 75 to 85 cents, with cash trades from last week showing sales between $234 and $238. Feeder cattle futures climbed by $1.35 to $1.85. The CME Feeder Cattle Index decreased by 26 cents to $362.98 on March 26. The Oklahoma City feeder cattle auction is anticipating around 8,000 head for sale, indicating a stronger market outlook.
As of March 24, large managed money speculators hold a net long position of 110,909 contracts in live cattle futures, a rise of 4,294 contracts from the previous week. In the feeder cattle sector, the net long stands at 17,810 contracts, reflecting a growth of 123 contracts. USDA reported a federal cattle slaughter estimate of 520,000 head last week, which was an increase of 17,000 from the prior week but 88,580 below the same week last year.
