**Live Cattle Futures Surge on Cash Demand**
Live cattle futures rose by $1 to $1.60 on Friday, propelled by strong cash demand. The Central Stockyards online Fed Cattle Exchange auction recorded sales of 775 out of 2,720 head listed, at prices between $188 and $189. Additionally, Southern beef sales were reported at $188, while Northern sales fetched $296. Feeder cattle futures increased by $1.95 to $2.85, with the CME Feeder Cattle Index climbing 78 cents to $250.25 on October 16.
In the week ending October 10, beef export sales reached 14,100 metric tons, a 2.55% increase from the previous week, with Japan purchasing 4,600 MT and South Korea acquiring 2,600 MT. Total shipments were 15,300 MT, a decrease of 4.5%, with Japan and South Korea receiving 3,800 MT each, alongside 1,900 MT sent to China. USDA reported increased wholesale boxed beef prices, with Choice boxes up $1.33 to $320.59 per cwt and Select boxes rising $1.23 to $294.75. The estimated slaughter for Thursday was 118,000 head, marking a weekly total of 488,000, which is 14,000 more than last week but down 13,670 from the same time last year.
