By Theopolis Waters
CHICAGO, April 2 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange hogs on Wednesday slumped on profit-taking and fund liquidation that pulled futures down from a high set earlier in the session, traders said.
Fund selling and sell stops developed after the June contract fell below the 20-day moving average of 127.209 cents.
April hogs closed down 0.800 cents per pound to 127.000, after peaking to a new contract high of 128.775 cents in electronic trading. June hogs finished 2.800 cents lower at 124.800 cents.
Futures initially spiked, driven by their discounts to cash hog prices and solid wholesale pork values. Anticipation of those positive fundamentals possibly turning negative triggered selling.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s morning direct hog price data was not available. Hogs in the Midwest early Wednesday traded steady, hog dealers said.
Some packers bought hogs for the rest of this week’s production. Others have their needs met after cutting slaughters to offset reduced supplies pegged to the spread of the deadly Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus (PEDv) on U.S. farms.
Fewer hogs made less pork available for processors and grocers looking to book product for post-Easter holiday advertisements.
The morning’s wholesale pork price jumped $1.11 per hundredweight from Tuesday to an all-time high of $133.74, led by the $6.93 per cwt. surge in costs for pork bellies, USDA said.
Traders actively sold summer hog contracts with the view that less-costly corn may prompt producers to feed hogs to heavier weights, which help counter production lost to PEDv during that period, said Linn Group analyst John Ginzel.
MOST CATTLE TURN UP ON SPREADS
Most CME live cattle firmed, supported by traders who simultaneously bought back months and sold April futures in a trading strategy known as bearish spreads, traders said.
April futures felt more pressure from uncertainty regarding cash prices for this week based on unprofitable packer margins but higher wholesale beef prices.
An isolated cash cattle bid of $147 per cwt. surfaced in the southern U.S. Plains against $153 asking prices from sellers, a feedlot source said.
Last week, cash cattle in Texas and Kansas fetched a record high of $152 per cwt, and Nebraska cash cattle hit a $154 record, feedlot sources said.
The early wholesale choice beef price rose $1.31 per cwt. from Tuesday to $233.85. Select cuts gained $1.34 to $224.29, based on USDA data.
The retailers looking at beef and pork at such high prices will begin to wonder if they should start featuring chicken or fish, said Ginzel.
HedgersEdge.com calculated the beef packer margins for Wednesday at an estimated negative $90.35 per head, compared with a negative $76.95 on Tuesday and a positive $5.65 a week ago.
April live cattle closed down 0.150 cents per lb. to 144.600 cents, and nearly par with the 20-day moving average of 144.670 cents.
June ended up 0.300 cent to 136.775 cents and August finished 0.500 cent higher at 134.475 cents.
Fund buying and lower corn prices boosted feeder cattle futures.
April closed 0.775 cent per lb higher at 177.225 cent, and May ended 1.200 cents higher at 177.975 cents.
