Markets / Live Cattle
Live Cattle
Dec Cattle futures · $ per hundredweight
Live Cattle is down 4.8% since January 1. By this point in a typical year (2021–2025) it was up 13.9%. From here to year-end, the price rose in 3 of the last 5 years, up 1.5% on average. Front-month futures. Past patterns don't predict prices; weather, demand and policy change every year.
As of Tuesday, Oct 6, hedge funds and commodity advisors are net long 50,695 contracts (less bullish than the week before, -2,498). That's more bullish than 20% of weeks in the last 3 years. CFTC Commitments of Traders, Disaggregated Futures Only. Published Fridays with Tuesday's positions.
Every contract month
Live Cattle futures trade Feb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec only; there are no other months.
Deferred months are priced below Dec Cattle (an inverse): the market wants it now.
| Month | Last | Change | vs. Dec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct Cattle | 224.65 | -$0.10 | -$2.17 |
| Dec Cattle | 226.82 | +$0.22 | — |
| Feb Cattle | 229.38 | -$0.20 | +$2.55 |
| Apr Cattle | 230.60 | -$0.33 | +$3.78 |
| Jun Cattle | 225.28 | -$0.22 | -$1.55 |
| Aug Cattle | 221.80 | unch | -$5.02 |
| Oct 27 Cattle | 219.95 | +$0.12 | -$6.88 |
| Dec 27 Cattle | 219.95 | +$0.05 | -$6.88 |
| Feb 28 Cattle | 220.00 | +$0.15 | -$6.82 |
| Apr 28 Cattle | 219.68 | +$0.18 | -$7.15 |
Text me when Dec Cattle hits my number
Pick the month and the price. We text you the second it trades there, plus cattle at 10:00 and 2:00.
Set up Dec Cattle alertsPasture condition
Pasture & range: 23% rated good to excellent, up 4 from last week.
Cattle on Feed
11.16 million head on feed September 1, 1% above a year ago. Placements in August: 1.62 million head, 9% below a year ago. Marketings: 1.52 million head, 3% below a year ago.
Why it moved
Cattle Slipping Back on Monday. It went against hogs (+0.77%), which were higher.
Reports coming up
- Fri Oct 23Cattle on Feed2:00pm CT
- Fri Oct 23USDA Cold Storage2:00pm CT
About this market
CME live cattle, 40,000 lb of fed steers. Even months only.