Live cattle futures are showing losses of $3 to $4 across the front months on Thursday. Cash trade has been light this week, with light dressed trade at $385 in the North, up $4 wk/wk. Southern trade was up $2 to $237. The Thursday morning Fed Cattel Exchange online auction showed no sales on the 1,188 head offered, with southern bids at $232. Feeder cattle futures are trading with $6.45 to $7.27 at midday. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was up another $1.40 to $344.09 on August 12.
USDA Export Sales data showed a total of just 4,282 MT of beef sold in the week ending on August 7, a calendar year low. Actual shipments were a 4-week low at 11,358 MT.
