Cattle futures lost more ground Wednesday with pressures including heavy carcass weights and announced import restrictions by some states on cattle from states with confirmed cases of Bovine Influenza A Virus (BIAV).
At the close and before final settlement, Live Cattle futures were an average of $1.57 lower. Feeder Cattle futures were an average of $2.72 lower.
Negotiated cash fed cattle trade was mostly inactive on light demand in all major cattle feeding regions through Wednesday afternoon, with too few transactions to trend, according to the Agricultural Marketing Service.
Last week, FOB live prices were $184/cwt. in the Texas Panhandle, $183-$184 in Kansas and $187 in the north. Dressed delivered prices were $296-$297 in Nebraska and $297 in the western Corn Belt.
Choice boxed beef cutout value was $3.86 lower at $298.23/cwt. Select was $3.88 lower at $296.02.
Turning to row crops, heading toward Wednesday’s close, Kansas City Wheat futures were 8¢ to 17¢ higher through Dec ’25 which helped drag Corn futures mostly 2¢ to 4¢ higher through near Dec.
However, Soybean futures were 5¢ to 9¢ lower ahead of Thursday’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.
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Major U.S. financial indices closed lower Wednesday, pressured by another reading of sticky inflation.
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers increased 0.4% in March on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Before seasonal adjustment, the all items index increased 3.5% over the last 12 months, which was more than expected.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 422 points lower. The S&P 500 closed 49 points lower. The NASDAQ was down 136 points.
Late afternoon, West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil futures (CME) were little changed but higher through the front six contracts.