[[ type === 'moc' ? 'MARKET ON CLOSE' : 'FREE WEBINAR' ]]
[[ timeLabel ]] WATCH LIVE:
Your browser of choice has not been tested for use with Barchart.com. If you have issues, please download one of the browsers listed here.
Stocks | Futures | Watchlist | News | More
or
Faster, Cleaner, Better.

Live Cattle Apr '24 (LEJ24)

[[ item.lastPrice ]] [[ item.priceChange ]] ([[ item.percentChange ]]) [[ item.tradeTime ]] [CME]
[[ item.bidPrice ]] x [[ item.bidSize ]] [[ item.askPrice ]] x [[ item.askSize ]]
[[ rootItem.symbol ]]underlying price [[ rootItem.lastPrice ]] [[ rootItem.priceChange ]] ([[ rootItem.percentChange ]]) [[ rootItem.tradeTime ]]
Quote Overview for [[ item.sessionDateDisplayLong ]]
[[ rowChartData.labelLow ]]
[[ rowChartData.lowPriceFormatted ]]
[[ rowChartData.lowPrice ]]
[[ rowChartData.labelHigh ]]
[[ rowChartData.highPriceFormatted ]]
[[ rowChartData.highPrice ]]
since [[ rowChartData.lowDate ]]
since [[ rowChartData.highDate ]]
[[ value ]] [[ value ]] ([[ financialData.relativeStrengthDirection14d ]]) ([[ financialData.highPercent1y ]]) ([[ financialData.lowPercent1y ]])

Live Cattle Futures Market News and Commentary

Fat Cattle Fall Back on Wednesday, While Feeders Rally Late

Live cattle futures closed the Wednesday session with losses of 90 cents to $2.52.  Cash trade has been limited so far this week with a few $260 sales in KS and $265 in the North. The Wednesday Fed Cattle Exchange online auction showed no sales on the 652 head offered, with bids of $259-260. Feeder cattle futures rallied late into the Wednesday close, as contracts were up 52 cents to $2.125 on the day. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was down $2.98 to $372.44 on May 19. 

Cargill’s Fort Morgan, CO, beef plant has initiated a lockout of employees following months of bargaining and negotiations. While the 4,700 capacity plant being offline does limit kill capacity, most affect will likely see cattle shifted around to other plants. Slaughter ready cattle supplies still remain tight.

Wholesale Boxed Beef prices were lower in the Wednesday afternoon report, with the Chc/Sel spread at $2.49. Choice boxes were down $2.13 to $393.62, while Select was $2.45 lower at $394.86. USDA esti... Read more

Contract Specifications

See More
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
04/08/24
Expiration Date
04/30/24 (expired)

Seasonal Chart

Live Cattle Apr '24
Average Price Chart for 5 Prior Apr Contracts

Commitment of Traders Positions as of May 12, 2026

View Chart Details
Commercials - Long / Short
96,978 (-3,668)
174,755 (-14,927)
Non-Commercials - Long / Short
158,107 (-7,284)
63,602 (+1,930)
Producers - Long / Short
26,519 (-5,243)
163,909 (-16,520)
Swap Dealers - Long / Short
69,117 (+1,097)
9,504 (+1,115)
Managed Money - Long / Short
143,522 (-6,269)
14,568 (+2,795)
Other Reportables - Long / Short
14,585 (-1,015)
49,034 (-865)
Get Realtime - Quotes and Charts for Futures Traders. Learn More >>

Price Performance

See More
Period Period Low Period High Performance
1-Month
176.500 +4.82%
on 04/12/24
186.000 -0.54%
on 04/30/24
unch (unch)
since 03/28/24
3-Month
176.500 +4.82%
on 04/12/24
190.275 -2.77%
on 03/14/24
+3.250 (+1.79%)
since 01/30/24
52-Week
165.400 +11.85%
on 12/06/23
199.825 -7.42%
on 09/15/23
+6.300 (+3.53%)
since 04/28/23

More Live Cattle Quotes

All Futures Prices
Please wait...

Most Recent Stories

More News
Fat Cattle Fall Back on Wednesday, While Feeders Rally Late

Live cattle futures closed the Wednesday session with losses of 90 cents to $2.52. Cash trade has been limited so far this week with a few $260 sales in KS and $265 in the North. The Wednesday Fed Cattle...

LEV26 : 236.775s (-1.06%)
LEQ26 : 245.300s (-0.79%)
LEM26 : 253.275s (-0.50%)
GFQ26 : 365.775s (+0.58%)
GFK26 : 370.725s (+0.31%)
GFU26 : 362.625s (+0.45%)
Hogs Close Wednesday with Weakness

Lean hog futures closed the Wednesday session with contracts 17 cents to $1 lower across most months. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $93.76 on Wednesday afternoon, down $1.11 from the...

HEN26 : 101.975s (-0.17%)
HEM26 : 97.275s (-0.66%)
HEQ26 : 101.825s (-0.27%)
Crude Oil Crashed 7% on Iran Deal Headlines — And Grains Paid the Price

If you came in this morning looking for a quiet Wednesday, the market had other plans. Grains got taken to the woodshed, and the fingerprints all over the scene came from outside the ag complex.

Shootin' the Bull about odd trading

If I thought Tuesday was odd, what am I thinking today?  I am in awe of the dynamic price movement, both higher and lower reflecting how discombobbled the market has become.

Grains, Livestock, and Geopolitics: How to Read What the Ag Markets Are Actually Telling Us

Barchart Senior Market Analyst Darin Newsom breaks down the morning's downward trend in grain and livestock futures, advising market participants to look past political headlines and unconfirmed Chinese...

ZSN26 : 1199-6s (-0.81%)
LEM26 : 253.275s (-0.50%)
ZWN26 : 660-4s (-1.01%)
ZCN26 : 465-6s (-2.00%)
CLN26 : 98.95 (+0.70%)
Cattle Falling on Wednesday Following Packing Plant Lockout

Live cattle futures are falling on Wednesday, with contracts down $1.52 to $4.10 at midday. Cash trade has been limited so far this week after $260-265 sales last week. The Wednesday Fed Cattle Exchange...

LEV26 : 236.775s (-1.06%)
LEQ26 : 245.300s (-0.79%)
LEM26 : 253.275s (-0.50%)
GFQ26 : 365.775s (+0.58%)
GFK26 : 370.725s (+0.31%)
GFU26 : 362.625s (+0.45%)
Hogs Holding Weaker at Midday

Lean hog futures are down 45 to 90 cents in most front months on the Wednesday session. USDA’s national base hog price was reported at $93.62 on Wednesday morning, down 73 cents from the day prior. The...

HEN26 : 101.975s (-0.17%)
HEM26 : 97.275s (-0.66%)
HEQ26 : 101.825s (-0.27%)
Cattle Need to Stay in the Fence

Cattle futures are testing a MAJOR breaking point right now… and the next move could get ugly fast.

Cattle Look to Wednesday Trade After Tuesday Gains

Live cattle futures posted gains of a dime to $1.20 across the board on Tuesday. Open interest was down 1,395 contracts. Cash trade has been limited so far this week after $260-265 sales last week. Feeder...

LEV26 : 236.775s (-1.06%)
LEQ26 : 245.300s (-0.79%)
LEM26 : 253.275s (-0.50%)
GFQ26 : 365.775s (+0.58%)
GFK26 : 370.725s (+0.31%)
Cattle Rally into the Tuesday Close

Live cattle futures posted gains of a dime to $1.20 across the board on Tuesday. Cash trade has been limited so far this week after $260-265 sales last week. Feeder cattle futures were in rally mode on...

LEV26 : 236.775s (-1.06%)
LEQ26 : 245.300s (-0.79%)
LEM26 : 253.275s (-0.50%)
GFQ26 : 365.775s (+0.58%)
GFK26 : 370.725s (+0.31%)
GFU26 : 362.625s (+0.45%)

Barchart Trading Guide

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

Key Turning Points

3rd Resistance Point 186.667
2nd Resistance Point 186.333
1st Resistance Point 185.667
Last Price 185.000s
1st Support Level 184.667
2nd Support Level 184.333
3rd Support Level 183.667

See More

52-Week High 199.825
Fibonacci 61.8% 186.675
Last Price 185.000s
Fibonacci 50% 182.612
Fibonacci 38.2% 178.550
52-Week Low 165.400

See More

Solutions for Ag Professionals barchart.com/cmdty
Data and Statistics for Meats
Explore Data
cmdtyView Pro for Livestock Professionals
Start Free Trial
We help Ag Professionals make better decisions
Learn Now
Want to use this as
your default charts setting?
Save this setup as a Chart Templates
Switch the Market flag
for targeted data from your country of choice.
Open the menu and switch the
Market flag for targeted data from your country of choice.
Want Streaming Chart Updates?
Switch your Site Preferences
to use Interactive Charts
Need More Chart Options?
Right-click on the chart to open the Interactive Chart menu.
Use your up/down arrows to move through the symbols.