Cattle Fall into the Thursday Close
Live cattle futures closed Thursday with losses ranging from $2 to $3.37.
Cash trade activity has started to pick up this week. In the North, a few dressed sales were reported at $365, down $5 compared to last week. Live trade in the area was between $232 and $235, which is $3 to $4 lower. Southern trade stood at $237, down $3.
The Thursday morning Fed Cattle Exchange online auction saw no sales on the 2,144 head offered, with bids at $232.
Feeder cattle futures showed mixed results. September contracts, which are expiring soon, were up by a nickel, while the rest of the board was down between $4.40 and $5.57. The CME Feeder Cattle Index rose $2.79 to $364.10 on September 24.
Export sales data revealed that just 8,446 metric tons (MT) of beef were sold in the week ending September 18, marking a six-week low. Japan purchased 2,000 MT, and Mexico bought 1,800 MT. Shipments saw a slight decline from the previous week, totaling 12,465 MT. Of this, 3,400 MT were destined for Japan, while 2,900 MT were headed to South Korea.
USDA Wholesale Boxed Beef prices declined on Thursday afternoon. The Choice/Select spread stood at $18.52. Choice boxes fell by $5.42, closing at $371.97, while Select boxes were down $2.97 to $353.45.
USDA federally inspected cattle slaughter for Thursday was estimated at 115,000 head. The week-to-date total reached 466,000 head, which is 6,000 head above last week but 35,175 head below the same week in 2024.
**Live Cattle Futures Closing Prices:**
– October 2025: $232.05, down $2.00
– December 2025: $234.30, down $2.53
– February 2026: $236.05, down $2.93
**Feeder Cattle Futures Closing Prices:**
– September 2025: $365.43, up $0.05
– October 2025: $354.05, down $5.58
– November 2025: $352.23, down $5.58
*Disclaimer:* On the date of publication, Austin Schroeder did not hold positions (either directly or indirectly) in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information provided is for informational purposes only. For more details, please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy [here](https://www.barchart.com/disclosure-policy).
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Nasdaq, Inc.
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