Live cattle futures are down $3 to 4 cents at midday, with Feb steady. Cash trade has been quiet so far this week, with a few bids picked up at $243-244 in the North, and $245 in the South. The Wednesday morning Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed no sales on the 1,456 head offered and bids at $244-245.50. Feeder cattle futures are falling $5.25 to $6.10 so far on the day. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was down 62 cents to $374.79 on February 24.
Beef export sales data showed 12,902 MT sold in the week ending on 2/19. That was a 6-week low. Shipments were 13,306 MT, which was slightly below the week prior.
