By Theopolis Waters
CHICAGO, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures reached an all-time high on Tuesday, fueled by short-covering as wholesale beef prices rose, traders said.
October closed up 2.725 cents per pound to 165.775 cents, and December 1.550 cents higher at 167.850 cents.
Tuesday morning’s Choice wholesale beef price, or cutout, climbed $2.49 per hundredweight (cwt) from Monday to $243.63. Select jumped $2.85 to $232.02, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.
Processors charged grocers more for beef to recover lost margins and justify high-priced slaughter-ready, or cash, cattle, traders and analysts said.
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As the harvest in southern Alberta presses on, a broker said that is one of the factors pulling feed prices lower in the region. Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge, added that lower cattle numbers in feedlots, plentiful amounts of grass for cattle to graze and a lacklustre export market also weighed on feed prices.
Beef packer margins for Tuesday were a negative $74.00 per head, compared with a negative $76.90 on Monday and a negative $74.30 a week ago, according to Colorado-based analytics firm Hedgersedge.com.
Futures’ recent rally and much-improved beef cutout values backed calls for steady-to-higher cash prices this week.
Packers did not respond to feedlots in the U.S. Plains who are asking $165 per cwt. or better for cattle. Last week, cash cattle moved at mostly $162 per cwt.
The chance that processors might bid up for cattle again this week stirred bull spreads, which consisted of traders who bought the October contract and sold deferred months.
CME feeder cattle contracts finished well into positive territory, supported by live cattle market advances and $5 to $7 per cwt. higher prices for feeder cattle in local markets.
October closed up 1.475 cents per lb to 241.475 cents, and November 2.150 cents higher at 242.425 cents.
MOSTLY LOWER HOGS
CME lean hogs closed mostly lower on profit-taking, except October futures that drew support from its discount to the exchange’s hog index at 109.54 cents.
October hogs closed up 0.050 cent per lb. to 107.225 cents. December ended 1.525 cents lower at 94.350 cents, and February down 1.125 cents to 91.625 cents.
Investors anxiously await USDA’s afternoon hog prices given the seasonal bump in supplies and the government’s unexpected upward correction to cash prices on Monday.
USDA’s morning direct cash hog prices were unavailable. Hogs in the Midwest traded mostly steady with Monday’s sales, according to regional hog dealers.
More heavyweight hogs, and grocers wrapping up October National Pork Month purchases, could consistently weigh on wholesale pork values in the near term, a trader said.
Separate USDA data showed the morning’s wholesale pork price was down $1.32 per cwt. from Monday to $123.13, on reduced loin and ham costs.
Back-month fund selling developed after December drifted below the 100-day moving average of 95.61 cents. February slipped beneath where the 20-day and 100-day moving averages converged at 91.63 cents, which triggered fund liquidation.
