Cattle futures fall for third day on holiday demand fears - CME
Hog futures end mixed as nearby contracts find support
1 July 2026
1 minute read
By: Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) cattle futures fell for a third straight session on Tuesday under pressure from technical selling and profit-taking ahead of the US Independence Day holiday weekend, with hot weather stoking concerns about a slowdown in beef demand, reported Reuters.
Abbreviated slaughter schedules due to expected beef plant closures around the upcoming holiday have also curtailed demand for cattle.
"It's a lot of technical selling and profit-taking going into the weekend. Seasonally, we're going into a period that's usually weaker for beef demand. This hot weather this week probably doesn't get anybody excited about beef demand either," said Doug Houghton, analyst with Brock Capital Management.
Beef packer margins remain deeply in the red, while a handful of recent beef plant closures have elevated concerns about demand for cattle. The US Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced a $500 million program aimed at supporting small- and mid-sized beef processors.
Livestock marketing advisory service HedgersEdge estimated beef packer losses of $292.00 per head on Tuesday, little changed from a month ago. LIV/H
CME August live cattle ended 1.150 cents lower at 242.425 cents per pound. The benchmark contract broke through technical chart support at its 20- and 50-day moving averages, accelerating selling that took prices to the lowest in two weeks.
August feeder cattle closed down 2.875 cents at 364.600 cents per pound, also a two-week low.
CME lean hog futures ended mixed on Tuesday. Nearby contracts advanced on short covering, though gains were limited by the premium of futures to cash market prices.
Actively traded August lean hogs settled 0.925 cent higher at 98.200 cents per pound.
