Friday’s session brought broad-based losses across live cattle futures, with most contracts declining between 97 cents and $2.67 on the day.
The August live cattle contract bore the sharpest pain, shedding $10.77 across the full week in a significant pullback for the market.
Cash trade in the north settled between $238 and $240 this week, while southern markets saw transactions completed in the $237 to $238 range.
Feeder cattle futures also struggled, falling between 65 cents and $2.20 on Friday, with the August feeder contract dropping $8.65 for the week.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index declined another $1.49 on July 16, settling at $364.03, extending the downward pressure across the cattle complex.
The Friday Commitment of Traders report revealed that managed money cut another 16,997 contracts from their net long position in live cattle futures and options, bringing the total to 96,324 contracts as of Tuesday.
Spec funds in feeder cattle futures and options were equally aggressive, slashing 3,810 contracts from their net long position as of July 14, reducing it to 9,880 contracts.
Wholesale boxed beef prices added further downward pressure, with Choice boxes falling $1.57 in the Friday PM report to $366.81, while Select dropped 40 cents to $355.29.
USDA’s federally inspected cattle slaughter totaled 525,000 head through Saturday, running 4,000 head below the prior week and 42,470 head under the same week last year.
August 2026 live cattle closed at $224.425, down $2.650, while October and December contracts settled at $220.700 and $220.525, down $2.575 and $2.675 respectively.
Among feeder cattle, August closed at $345.950, September settled at $339.350, and October finished at $332.825, reflecting sustained selling pressure across the forward curve.
The combination of weaker cash trade, softening wholesale beef values, and aggressive managed money liquidation has left the cattle market firmly on the defensive heading into the new trading week.
