DTN Midday Livestock Comments          10/22 12:11

   Little Bit of Everything in Tuesday's Livestock Markets. 

   The feeder cattle market shows some signs of strengthening power while 
cohorts (lean hog & live cattle markets) lag behind.  

By ShayLe Stewart
DTN Livestock Analyst

General Comments

   There isn't a perfect symphony of chirping birds and soft whispering wind, 
but some livestock markets want to rally while other livestock markets want to 
tumble. The livestock sector is a mixed bag Tuesday morning as the lean hog 
sector is down significantly, the live cattle market is mixed and yet the 
feeder cattle market is trading somewhat higher. December corn is down 1/4 cent 
per bushel and December soybean meal is down $0.50. The Dow Jones Industrial 
Average is up 82.70 points and NASDAQ is down 10.85 points

   LIVE CATTLE 

   Live cattle prices have struggled to find support Tuesday morning but are 
inching up as the clock continues to tick. December live cattle are up $0.15 at 
$114.02, and as more time passes by, other contracts are warming up, too. The 
countryside remains quiet with only a few Southern asking prices being posted 
at $110-plus. Consigned to Wednesday's Fed Cattle Exchange there are two pens 
of heifers available, one pen from Texas and one from Kansas, with delivery of 
one-to-nine days totaling all together only 231 head. 

   Midday boxed beef cutouts are higher: choice up $0.75 ($220.88) and select 
is up $3.34 ($197.78). Tuesday's midday moved beef movement totals 53.96 loads 
(32.72 loads of choice cuts, 11.25 loads of select cuts, no loads of trim and 
9.99 loads of ground beef). 

   FEEDER CATTLE 

   Despite all other livestock markets either being lower or indecisive, the 
feeder complex is trading merely steady in the spot October market but $0.70 to 
$1.00 higher in deferred contracts. November live cattle are up $0.75 at 
$143.60 and the biggest market gain is being seen in the January 2020 contract 
- up $1.00 at $140.10. If the feeder cattle rally is able to close the day 
higher, and welcome Wednesday with the same energy it could help sale barns 
keep their strong market undertones as well. 

   LEAN HOGS 

   The heavy resistance at $74.50 pushes the December lean hog market lower. 
Unable to band-wagon from the other market's rally, the lean hog sector erodes 
to lower prices. December lean hogs are down $1.72 at $66.10 and all other 
markets both nearby and deferred have the Tuesday blues. 

   The projected lean hog index for 10/21/19 is $65.47 down five cents, and the 
actual for 10/18/19 is $65.53 down $0.11.  Prices are lower on the National 
Direct Morning Hog Report, down $0.20 with a weighted average of $56.91 ranging 
from $51.00 to $58.00 on 12,661 head sold and a five-day rolling average of 
$57.11. Pork cutouts totaled 210.66 loads with 188.19 loads of pork cuts and 
22.47 loads of trim. Pork cutout calves are down $1.80 at $76.73. 

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


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