Hog Futures Experience Mixed Trading as Market Dynamics Shift

At midday, lean hog futures showed losses ranging from 2 to 52 cents. On Friday morning, the national average base hog negotiated price was reported at $79.69, while the CME Lean Hog Index stood at $83.99 as of December 31, marking a decrease of 28 cents from the previous day’s figures.

Pork export sales reported for the week of 12/26 totaled 7,528 metric tons (MT) for 2024 and 13,527 MT for 2025. Notably, Mexico accounted for combined purchases of 11,300 MT, while Japan imported 5,900 MT. Shipments for that week reached 23,746 MT, hitting a 12-week low. Specifically, 10,100 MT were sent to Mexico, with an additional 2,600 MT dispatched to Japan.

In the Friday morning report, the USDA’s FOB plant pork cutout value increased by $2.23 to $91.55 per cwt. The only primal reported at a loss was the picnic. The estimated federally inspected hog slaughter for Thursday was 489,000, bringing the total for the week to 1.381 million head. This figure reflects an increase of 230,000 head compared to the previous week, yet it remains down by 65,390 head compared to the same period last year.

Feb 25 Hogs are trading at $81.125, down $0.025.

Apr 25 Hogs are priced at $86.075, reflecting a decrease of $0.475.

May 25 Hogs are at $90.675, having fallen by $0.525.

At the time of publication, Austin Schroeder did not hold any positions, either directly or indirectly, in the securities mentioned in this article. All information provided here is for informational purposes only. For more details, please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.

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