Live Cattle Market Updates: A Mixed Bag for December Futures
On Friday, live cattle futures showed mixed results. Nearby December futures dropped slightly, while other contracts rose by up to 75 cents. Overall, December closed the week up $1.20 and has increased $1.67 this month. Cash trades this week reported sales between $188-190 in the South and $190-192 in the North. Meanwhile, feeder cattle gained 70 cents, reaching $2.025. January feeder cattle surged by $5.17 this week and a notable $18.15 this month. The CME Feeder Cattle Index fell by 74 cents to $255.20 on November 27.
In export news, the latest sales data revealed that 4,846 metric tons (MT) of 2024 beef had been sold in the week ending November 21—marking a low for the calendar year. An additional 5,042 MT was reported for 2025 shipments. Shipments totaled 14,536 MT, hitting a three-week high. South Korea emerged as the largest buyer at 4,900 MT, followed by Japan with an order of 3,300 MT.
The USDA reported a decline in wholesale Boxed Beef prices in the Friday afternoon update. Choice boxes fell by 74 cents to $310.52 per hundredweight (cwt), while Select remained stable at $274.30. Consequently, the spread between Choice and Select narrowed to $36.22. The USDA estimated that 117,000 cattle were slaughtered federally on Friday, bringing the weekly total to 528,000 heads by Saturday.
Dec 24 Live Cattle closed at $187.975, down $0.025.
Feb 25 Live Cattle closed at $188.625, up $0.025.
Apr 25 Live Cattle closed at $190.775, up $0.350.
Jan 25 Feeder Cattle closed at $259.475, up $0.700.
Mar 25 Feeder Cattle closed at $258.625, up $1.325.
Apr 25 Feeder Cattle closed at $259.625, up $1.225.
At the time of publication, Austin Schroeder did not hold any direct or indirect positions in the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data are provided solely for informational purposes. Please refer to the Barchart Disclosure Policy for more information.
The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nasdaq, Inc.
