
Live cattle futures are back down $1.30 to $1.45 across most front months on Monday. Cash trade has been quiet so far this week, with a few $229 sales reported early in KS, steady to $1 higher than last week. The Tuesday Fed Cattle Exchange showed no sales on the 1,734 head offered, with bids at $225-227.50. Feeder cattle futures are trading with $1.77 to $2.57 at midday. CME’s Feeder Cattle Index was up another 73 cents to $351.91 on December 19.
Export Sales data showed 8,776 MT of beef sold in the week ending on 12/11, back down from the week prior. Export Shipments were 14,930 MT in that week, a 3-week high.