**Lean hog futures experienced declines on Wednesday, with losses ranging from $1.45 to $1.80.** The USDA reported a national base hog price increase of 15 cents, reaching $69.71, while the CME Lean Hog Index rose by 31 cents to $83.30.
According to the latest CFTC data, spec funds held a net long position of 46,650 contracts in lean hog futures and options as of December 2, reflecting a decrease of 3,543 contracts from the previous week. Additionally, USDA’s pork carcass cutout value was reported at $98.54 per cwt, down 2 cents, with an estimated hog slaughter of 494,000 head for Tuesday, bringing the weekly total to 1.462 million, which is 9,000 head below last week but 927 head above the same week last year.
Closing figures for futures on February, April, and May 2026 were $83.00, $87.95, and $91.93, respectively, all showing declines in value.
