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Live Cattle Apr '26 (LEJ26)

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Live Cattle Futures Market News and Commentary

Cattle Rally to Kick Off the New Year

Live cattle futures were held up by the rallying cash market, with contracts up $3.50 to $4.40 in the front months. February was up $6.35 on the week. Cash trade picked up this week, as trade settled in at $232 across the country, up $2-3 from last week. Feeder cattle futures rallied $5.85 to $8.05 in the front months on Friday, to start the new year off. January was up $9.925 this week. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was up $1.57 to $350.22 on January 1. 

USDA Wholesale Boxed Beef prices were back higher in the Friday afternoon report, with the Chc/Sel spread at just $3.05. Choice boxes were up $2.52 to $349.97, while Select was $4.54 higher at $346.92. This week’s USDA federally inspected cattle slaughter was estimated at 474,000 head. That was a 48,000 head increase from last week but 30,893 head below last year. 

Feb 26 Live Cattle  closed at $236.000, up $4.400,

Apr 26 Live Cattle  closed at $235.975, up $3.775,

Jun 26 Live Cattle  closed at $230.350, up $3... Read more

Contract Specifications

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Contract
Live Cattle
Contract Size
40,000 pounds
Tick Size
0.00025 per pound ($10.00 per contract)
Trading Hours
8:30a.m. - 1:05p.m. (Settles 1:00p.m.) CST
Exchange
CME
Point Value
$400
Margin/Maintenance
$3,630/3,300
First Notice Date
04/06/26 (92 days)
Expiration Date
04/30/26 (116 days)

Seasonal Chart

Live Cattle Apr '26
Average Price Chart for 5 Prior Apr Contracts

Commitment of Traders Positions as of Dec 23, 2025

View Chart Details
Commercials - Long / Short
109,446 (+554)
175,102 (+3,023)
Non-Commercials - Long / Short
140,049 (+2,775)
61,255 (-88)
Producers - Long / Short
44,372 (-1,349)
166,776 (+3,142)
Swap Dealers - Long / Short
62,756 (+1,985)
6,008 (-37)
Managed Money - Long / Short
113,025 (+2,379)
19,711 (-1,348)
Other Reportables - Long / Short
27,024 (+396)
41,544 (+1,260)
Get Realtime - Quotes and Charts for Futures Traders. Learn More >>

Price Performance

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Period Period Low Period High Performance
1-Month
221.200 +6.68%
on 12/03/25
236.200 -0.10%
on 01/02/26
+13.550 (+6.09%)
since 12/02/25
3-Month
205.525 +14.82%
on 11/25/25
250.925 -5.96%
on 10/16/25
-0.925 (-0.39%)
since 10/02/25
52-Week
189.650 +24.43%
on 01/03/25
250.925 -5.96%
on 10/16/25
+44.650 (+23.34%)
since 01/02/25

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Most Recent Stories

More News
Cattle Markets Surge into the New Year

Happy start to the new year

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New Year bulls favor cattle over grains

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Cattle Rally to Kick Off the New Year

Live cattle futures were held up by the rallying cash market, with contracts up $3.50 to $4.40 in the front months. February was up $6.35 on the week. Cash trade picked up this week, as trade settled in...

LEM26 : 230.350s (+1.58%)
LEJ26 : 235.975s (+1.63%)
LEG26 : 236.000s (+1.90%)
GFH26 : 352.950s (+2.21%)
GFF26 : 356.100s (+1.67%)
GFJ26 : 352.250s (+2.33%)
Hogs Pullback to Kick off the New Year

Lean hog futures posted losses of 60 cents to $1 across the nearbys on Friday, with February slipping 42 cents this week. USDA’s national base hog price was not reported on Friday afternoon due to thin...

HEJ26 : 89.100s (-0.89%)
HEG26 : 84.100s (-1.18%)
HEK26 : 93.375s (-0.66%)
Shootin' the Bull about charging out of the gates

In my opinion, cattlemen did what was expected, they started the new year aggressively acquiring inventory.

Fats and Oils

Fats and Oils - 2026-01-02

RSH26 : 603.90s (+0.25%)
KGH26 : 0.6401s (-0.40%)
ZCH26 : 437-4s (-0.62%)
ZSDAUS-BIW.CM : 4,506,573 (unch)
XSK26 : 3,475s (-0.20%)
CTH26 : 64.01s (-0.40%)
KOH26 : 3,991s (-1.46%)
XUK26 : 2,759s (-0.33%)
XTK26 : 4,233s (+0.69%)
XVH26 : 2,229s (-0.54%)
XXK26 : 7,866s (+0.20%)
ZSBAUS.CM : -0.7582 (-13.52%)
Hogs Slipping to Kick off the New Year

Lean hog futures are down 50 to 85 cents so far on Friday. USDA’s national base hog price was not reported on Friday morning due to thin volume. The CME Lean Hog Index was back up a penny on December...

HEJ26 : 89.100s (-0.89%)
HEG26 : 84.100s (-1.18%)
HEK26 : 93.375s (-0.66%)
Hogs Look to Friday Trade Following Weaker End to 2025

Lean hog futures posted losses of a nickel to 35 cents on Wednesday. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $70.19 on Wednesday afternoon, down 19 cents from the day prior. The CME Lean Hog Index...

HEJ26 : 89.100s (-0.89%)
HEG26 : 84.100s (-1.18%)
HEK26 : 93.375s (-0.66%)

Barchart Trading Guide

The Barchart Trading Guide is a Buy Signal with a Weak Signal Strength.

Key Turning Points

3rd Resistance Point 241.483
2nd Resistance Point 238.842
1st Resistance Point 237.408
Last Price 235.975s
1st Support Level 233.333
2nd Support Level 230.692
3rd Support Level 229.258

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52-Week High 250.925
Last Price 235.975s
Fibonacci 61.8% 227.518
Fibonacci 50% 220.288
Fibonacci 38.2% 213.057
52-Week Low 189.650

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