Pirk cutout retreats from recent highs - CME
Cattle futures rebound after 15 straight sessions of losses
21 July 2026
1 minute read
By: Front-month live cattle futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) bounced back on Monday after 15 sessions of falls driven by a slump in cash cattle markets this month and a seasonal slowdown in beef demand, Reuters reported, citing analysts.
CME August live cattle futures settled up 2.10 cents on Monday at 226.525 cents per pound after dipping to 223.700 cents, the contract's lowest since March 9. October futures ended up 2.60 cents at 223.300 cents a pound, after hitting their lowest point since December 2025.
CME August feeder cattle futures rose 6.050 cents to finish at 352.00 cents per pound.
Still, a weakening cash cattle trade indicated ongoing pressure on feeder cattle futures, according to an analyst note.
The CME feeder cattle index price was quoted at $359.71.
Boxed beef prices firmed on Monday with choice cuts of beef rising $3.29 to $370.10 per hundredweight (cwt), according to the US Department of Agriculture on Monday afternoon. Select cuts rose $0.16 to $355.45 per cwt.
Meat packers were in the red, losing $275.20 per head of cattle on Monday, but trimming losses from Friday, when they lost $301.25 per head.
Beef demand is still in a summertime lull, analysts say, but retailers will eventually start buying meat for school lunch programs and stocking up for the September 7 Labor Day holiday.
CME October hogs ended down 0.225 cents at 87.950 cents per pound.
The CME's Lean Hog Index, a two-day weighted average of cash hog prices, was last quoted at 87.700 cents.
The USDA priced the pork carcass cutout late on Friday at $103.10 per cwt, down $1.31.
