Lean hog futures hold steady in quiet trade - CME
Cattle futures drift as markets await fresh signals
26 March 2026
1 minute read
By: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) live and feeder cattle futures traded on both sides of unchanged on Wednesday amid a lack of fresh news as traders continued to eye the cash cattle market and equity markets, reported Reuters.
CME June live cattle settled 0.75 cent lower at 233.85 cents per pound. CME April feeders finished 1.1 cents lower at 353.35 cents per pound.
"There's a bit of a correction here. Not a whole lot going on outside that," said Austin Schroeder, analyst at Brugler Marketing and Management.
Wall Street's main indexes closed higher on Wednesday as oil prices fell while Iran reviewed a US proposal to end the war in the Middle East, feeding investor hopes for de-escalation in the fourth week of a conflict that has disrupted global energy flows and stoked inflation concerns.
Cattle futures are often influenced by outside markets, as consumers may be more reluctant to consume pricier beef when they feel financially pinched.
An ongoing strike at the JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado, has limited slaughter capacity.
The US Department of Agriculture reported on Wednesday that choice cuts of boxed beef fell $7.91 to $392 per hundredweight (cwt), and select cuts $2.53 to $397.03 per cwt.
Beef packer margins were at $95.75 per head on Wednesday, down from $142.15 per head a week ago, according to livestock marketing advisory service HedgersEdge.
Hog futures were nearly unchanged without fresh news to trade on.
CME June lean hog futures ended up 0.085 cent at 104.125 cents per pound.
