Lean Hog Futures See Friday Losses, But Pork Prices Rise

At midday on Friday, lean hog futures faced losses ranging from $2.90 to $3.90. Notably, April futures remained stable with an uptick of 15 cents, supported by the index. According to the USDA’s national average base hog negotiated price, there was a slight increase of 4 cents from the previous day, bringing the price to $87.38, as reported on Friday morning. Meanwhile, the CME’s Lean Hog Index from April 2 reported a decrease of 8 cents, settling at $88.72.

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On Friday morning, the USDA reported a rise in the pork cutout value by $4.08, now at $98.42 per cwt. While the loin and butt primals experienced a decline, the belly saw the most substantial increase, soaring by $19.91. In terms of slaughter numbers, USDA estimated Thursday’s federally inspected hog slaughter at 488,000 head, leading to a total of 1.926 million head for the week. This figure is a decrease of 13,000 head compared to the previous week but remains 106,548 head higher than the same week last year.

April 25 Hogs are trading at $87.525, reflecting an increase of $0.150.

May 25 Hogs are priced at $85.600, down $2.975.

June 25 Hogs are at $91.675, showing a decline of $3.875.

On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not hold (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data are intended solely for informational purposes. For further details, please review the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Nasdaq, Inc.