DTN Midday Livestock Comments          12/29 11:47

   Traders Push Livestock Contracts Higher 

   Traders are currently pushing the livestock contracts higher into Monday's 
noon hour as traders are eager to support the contracts after the holiday 
break. 

ShayLe Stewart
DTN Livestock Analyst

GENERAL COMMENTS:

   The livestock contracts are trading higher into Monday's noon hour as 
traders are eager to support the contracts after the Christmas holiday. New 
showlists appear to be higher in Nebraska/Colorado and Texas, and somewhat 
higher in Kansas. March corn is down 7 cents per bushel and March soybean meal 
is down $3.50. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 303.07 points and 
NASDAQ is down 181.19 points.

LIVE CATTLE:

   Originally at the day's start the live cattle complex was trading lower, but 
now the cattle contracts are higher as traders noted they weren't up against 
immediate resistance pressure and can lightly advance the contracts without 
facing technical pressure. February live cattle are down $0.15 at $229.47, 
April live cattle are up $0.07 at $229.77 and June live cattle are up $0.27 at 
$224.42. No bids or asking prices are currently noted at this time. New 
showlists appear to be higher in Nebraska/Colorado and Texas, and somewhat 
higher in Kansas.

   Last week Southern live cattle traded at mostly $229, which is $2.00 higher 
than the previous week's weighted average, and Northern dressed cattle traded 
at mostly $356, which is $1.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average.

   Boxed beef prices are higher: choice up $1.57 ($352.78) and select up $2.95 
($346.75) with a movement of 45 loads (28.45 loads of choice, 6.70 loads of 
select, 3.80 loads of trim and 5.89 loads of ground beef).

FEEDER CATTLE:

   Upon seeing the live cattle contracts inch higher, the feeder cattle complex 
has opted to advance its contracts once again. January feeders are up $1.42 at 
$347.60, March feeders are up $1.90 at $342.32 and April feeders are up $1.95 
at $341.15. Again, this week most sale barns won't hold their weekly sales as 
normal operations are canceled until after the New Year.

LEAN HOGS:

   The lean hog complex is trading higher too as traders continue to yearn to 
push the contracts higher, but will likely need to see more fundamental support 
before they'll challenge the resistance at $86.00 in the spot February 
contract. February lean hogs are steady at $84.52, April lean hogs are up $0.15 
at $89.62 and June lean hogs are up $0.22 at $102.55. Pork demand will likely 
improve throughout the week as retailers restock their coolers after the 
holiday season.

   The projected CME Lean Hog Index for 12/26/2025 is down $1.40 at $82.44, and 
the actual index for 12/24/2025 is up $0.13 at $83.84. Hog prices are not 
available on the Daily Direct Morning Hog report because no hogs have traded 
yet. The only thing we can see on the report is that zero head have traded this 
morning, and that the market's five-day rolling average now sits at $68.02. 
Pork cutouts totaled 106.80 loads with 91.33 loads of pork cuts and 15.47 loads 
of trim. Pork cutout values: down $2.00, $95.71.

   ShayLe Stewart can be reached at shayle.stewart@dtn.com




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