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Decoding Cattle: Live Cattle Market Poised for a Bearish Shift?Decoding the Signals: Is the Live Cattle Market Poised for a Bearish Shift? “There is a system in chaos, a signal in the noise.” Every week, the Commitment of Traders (COT) strategy uncovers setups across markets. This week, Live Cattle has emerged as a standout opportunity—one that suggests a significant bearish move may be on the horizon. But let me be clear: this isn’t an invitation to blindly short the market. It’s a call to decode the signals, understand the conditions, and prepare for what could be a meaningful shift. Let’s dive into the evidence. Code 1: Extreme Positioning The Commercial and Small Speculator Indexes, using a 26-week lookback, are both at extremes in short positioning. When Commercials—the smart money—position themselves this aggressively, it’s a sign that something is brewing. Code 2: Small Spec Extremes (Don't Fade The Small Specs in Meat Markets) Small Speculators are at a 3-year extreme in short positioning. Here’s where Live Cattle differs from most markets: in this space, Small Specs often get it right. Also, we see the “Bubble-Up” phenomenon: the net open interest lines of Small Specs and Commercials "bubbling up" against the Large Specs. This pattern often precedes major turning points, signaling that a shift is possibly near. Code 3: Overvaluation Using the WillVal indicator, we see that Live Cattle is overvalued relative to gold. Markets tend to correct misalignments in value, and this overvaluation points to a downside recalibration. When the market’s perception doesn’t align with reality, the result is rarely subtle. Seasonals: A Fly in the Ointment? Seasonal tendencies suggest Live Cattle typically trends upward until February. However, seasonals reflect historical patterns—what has happened in the past. Positioning data, on the other hand, shows us what’s happening now. Given the extreme positioning currently in play, it’s likely the seasonal tendency will fail to materialize this time. Distribution Signals Signs of distribution are evident across multiple indicators: Insider Accumulation Index: suggests institutions are quietly offloading positions. POIV and ProGo divergence: further confirmation that the smart money is exiting. Distribution is the hallmark of a market top. When the signs are this clear, the question isn’t if the market will turn but when. Spread Weakening The spread between the front-month and the next-month-out contracts in Live Cattle is weakening. This weakening spread indicates a shift in market sentiment. A weakening spread often reflects reduced demand for the front month or increasing supply pressures, both of which align with a bearish narrative. When the spread no longer supports bullish momentum, it’s another signal that the tide is turning. Additional Bearish Indicators The weight of evidence continues to stack: %R is firmly in the sell zone. Weekly and daily bearish divergences in the Ultimate Oscillator. A confirmed weekly bearish momentum divergence. These signals reinforce the bearish case, painting a clear picture of a market under pressure. What Will You Do With This Information? Here’s where many traders falter. It’s easy to see the signals and jump in prematurely. But setups like these are not a green light to enter—they are a call to prepare. Timing is everything. Successful trading isn’t just about identifying opportunities—it’s about executing with precision. The Live Cattle market may be gearing up for a bearish move, but the key lies in waiting for the right entry trigger. The Privilege of Understanding Most traders never see these signals. They’re too caught up in noise, emotions, and guesswork. But you’re different. You’ve been given a glimpse of how the market truly works—a rare opportunity to decode its hidden signals. If you’re ready to step further into this world, to see the Matrix for what it is and act with clarity and purpose, the journey awaits. Want to learn how to decode the market like this? Stick with me, and let’s break free from the herd together.
CME:LEG2025Short
by Tradius_Trades
2
Why Cost of Living is Still a Concern?Why is the cost of living still a concern, even though inflation has declined to 2.6%? In many elections over the past two years, voters have ranked inflation as their top concern. As we can see, the prices of many commodities remain above pre-COVID levels, with gold and meat prices currently much higher than they were at the inflation peak in 2022. Consciously or unconsciously, both investors and consumers seem to feel that the cost of living will remain elevated for a prolonged period. Moreover, there is always a risk that inflation might creep back up again. Feeder Cattle Futures & Options Ticker: GF Minimum fluctuation: 0.00025 per pound = $12.50 Disclaimer: • What presented here is not a recommendation, please consult your licensed broker. • Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises. CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups in real-time and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
CME:GF1!Long
by konhow
8
Arbitrage Idea on Food CommoditiesCME: Lean Hog ( CME:HE1! ), Live Cattle ( CME:LE1! ) Here is the official narrative on US inflation: The Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening policy has successfully brought down inflation rate from a four-decade high to about 3 percent, delivering much needed reliefs to US consumers. Government data supports this narrative. Take food costs as an example: In August 2022, CPI on food items reached a record 11.4%, well above the peak headline CPI of 9.1%. Rising food costs were a leading inflation contributor. By April 2024, the headline CPI went down to 3.4%, while food CPI was even lower at 2.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Low food prices helped decelerate the overall inflation. Grocery shoppers and restaurant diners would likely disagree as they tend to experience much bigger price hikes. Let’s read the same data from a different angle. • The headline CPI (CPI-U) rose from 267.054 in April 2021 to 313.548 in April 2024. (Note: The BLS CPI data sets the years 1982-84 as a baseline at 100.) In other words, CPI-U has gone up 17.4% in the past three years. • For the same period, food CPI rose from 273.090 to 321.566, up 17.8% in 3 years. This data shows the whole picture. The cumulative effect of multi-year inflation has elevated prices to higher levels. Annualized rates of increase have indeed decelerated. But as long as they remain positive, price levels will continue to go up. A Deep Dive on Food Inflation The BLS categorizes food items into “Food at Home” and “Food away from Home”. This methodology would result in the same type of food showing up in two categories. The logic behind it is debatable. While it makes sense to observe and report sales prices from different venues, it makes the task of data analysis much more complicated. I propose a reclassification of food items into meat, grain, and beverage categories. Each has several commodities trading on the futures market, where its price-discovery function helps bring all relevant supply and demand information together. The Livestock/Meat Market Live Cattle ( NASDAQ:LE ) and Lean Hog ( NYSE:HE ) are commodities contracts trading on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures market. In the past five years, Live Cattle futures have gone up over 60%, well above the 27.4% in CPI-Food for the same period. Meanwhile, Lean Hog advanced less than 5%. Why beef price rose rapidly when pork price declined throughout most of the inflationary period? What’s reason behind the diverged price patterns between the two meat products? We will come back to this in the next section. The Grain Market Corn ( TSXV:ZC ), Soybean ( NASDAQ:ZS ) and Wheat ( SEED_MSTRWHYT_FUTURES_WASDE:ZW ) are commodities contracts trading on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) futures market. The 5-year price changes for Corn, Soybean and Wheat are 28.9%, 51.3% and 55.1% respectively, all above the 27.4% in CPI-Food for the same period. We observed that grain prices peaked in 2022 after the Russia-Ukraine conflict started. Wheat prices doubled in a matter of weeks, as investors feared that production by the two major wheat exporters may be interrupted. More recently, grain prices were trending down in the past two years, a result of stable supply and weak global demand. The Beverage Ingredient Market The 5-year price changes for Cocoa, Coffee, Orange Juice, and Sugar are 252%, 196%, 63% and 29% respectively. The spike of Cocoa price by 400% caught market attention earlier. This was followed by a nosedive with price cut in half. Cocoa contract does not have adequate liquidity. Trader speculation was likely the main factor causing the dramatic price movement. Arbitrage Opportunity with Live Cattle and Lean Hog Futures In “What Disinflation - Beef Price Went Up 64% in 5 Years”, published on August 7, 2023, I introduced an arbitrage idea for shorting (selling) the cattle-hog price spread. The 20-year price chart shows that the spread between live cattle (LE) and lean hog (HE) broadly stays in the range of $20-$60 per 100 pounds. On August 4th, LEV3 settled at $183.10 while HEV3 closed at $83.25. The spread has widened to nearly $100, well above the historical average. On May 17th, Live Cattle August contract LEQ4 settled at $178.85, while Lean Hog August contract HEQ4 closed at $99.55. The spread has narrowed to $79.30, down $20. Futures market confirmed my view. In my opinion, the same fundamental factors are still at work and could drive the spread down further to the $60 range. 1. Price Sensitivity and Substitution o When beef price gets too high, its demands could be partially substituted by the lower-priced pork. Price sensitive consumers would choose pork chops over a steak dinner. The result would be lower beef price and higher pork price, as the demand for the former is redirected to the latter. 2. Mean Reversion o The price spread at $100 was two standard deviations above its historical mean. Statistically speaking, such an outliner is abnormal. There is a good likelihood that the spread would fall back to the $20-$60 normal range. 3. Hog Cycle o The multi-year Hog Production Cycle has major impact, with fewer sows yielding a smaller hog production in the next 12-18 months. Hog production reduction would result in higher pork prices down the supply chain. For a thorough understanding of the fundamentals in the beef cattle and lean hog markets, please read my previous writings, listed at the end of this post. To set up a short cattle-hog spread trade, one could sell one live cattle contract and simultaneously buy one lean hog contract. Each cattle contract has a notional value of 40,000 pounds, or $71,540 (= $178.85 x 400). To buy or sell one contract requires a margin of $2,450. Each hog contract has a notional value of 40,000 pounds, or $39,820 (= $99.55 x 400). To buy or sell one contract requires a margin of $1,500. The two-legged spread trade requires an upfront margin of $3,950. Hypothetically, if the cattle-hog spread narrows to $60 from $79, the $19 difference would translate into an account credit of $7,600 (= 19 x 400). Using the margin as a cost base, the theoretical return on this trade would be 192% (= 7600 / 3950). The trade would lose money if the price spread did not narrow. Happy Trading. Disclaimers *Trade ideas cited above are for illustration only, as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate the fundamental concepts in risk management under the market scenarios being discussed. They shall not be construed as investment recommendations or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products, or services. CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
CME:HE1!Long
by JimHuangChicago
1
HE: Upside Potential on Pork Prices with New Hog Cycle UnderwayCME: Lean Hog ( CME:HE1! ) Throughout 2023, U.S. grocery shoppers find that beef prices rise rapidly. According to the National Daily Cattle and Beef report, published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Choice Beef averaged $290 per cwt (100 pounds) on December 8th. This represents a 16% increase year-over-year and is 21% above the 5-year average. In the futures market, CME Live Cattle ( NASDAQ:LE ) hit bottom at $85 per cwt in April 2020 during the pandemic lockdown period. Since then, cattle prices have trended up in a straight line to top $185 by this September, before pulling back recently in Q4. Beef prices have more than doubled, while the official reading of CPI for Food and Beverage went up by only 27% in the past five years. Fortunately, you could still find low-cost meats if you walk over to the Pork section. Based on the USDA National Daily Hog and Pork report, Hog Carcass averaged $60 per cwt last Friday. It is a whopping 29% discount comparing to the $85 price tag on the same day last year. Ham price averaged $84, which is $10 cheaper than the same period last year. In the futures market, CME Lean Hog ( NYSE:HE ) tends to move up and down in a cycle average 2-3 years. This phenomenon is referred to as “Hog Price Cycle” or “Hog Cycle” in agricultural economics. Pork prices do not appear to be impacted by the inflation. The Hog Cycle Hog cycles are the changes recurring in agriculture in the production and prices. A complete hog cycle includes successive years of increase and decrease in hog production cycle. In general, a higher level of hog inventory will result in pork supply surplus, and cause hog and pork prices to fall in future months. Lower hog stock leads to pork supply shortage and will cause prices to rise. There is a mismatch between hog production cycle and hog price cycle, because it takes time to produce hogs, from farrow to weaned pig, and from feeder pig to market pig. To complete a feedback loop, a producer first observes change in market prices, he then adjusts production level accordingly. It will be 5-6 months later before the change in hog output occurs. We could describe the sequence of events in the following: 1) As producers incur loss from low price, they liquidate sows and reduce hog inventories. 2) A lower level of hog production results in a shortage of pork supply (months later). 3) Pork price goes up as supply could not meet demand. 4) Higher hog price induces producers to raise hog inventory. 5) Higher hog production results in a surplus of pork supply (months later). 6) Hog price declines due to the oversupply of pork in the market. Sow Liquidation Could Lead to Lower Hog Supply in 2024 Iowa State University (ISU) is a leading authority in swine research. Based on the estimates put out by ISU Economics Department, a typical Farrow-to-Finish hog producer in the U.S. would have incurred losses in ten out of the last twelve months. As shown in the table below, a producer farrowed in September 2022 would pay $129.15 in feed cost and $71.90 in nonfeed cost per hog. When he sold the hog with an average weight of 270 pounds in April 2023, he would receive $148.83 and a manure credit of $8.50, resulting in a net loss of $49.47. These steep losses average $21 per month from November 2022 to October 2023. Hog farmers may be forced to liquidate sows this winter. It could result in lower hog inventory and lower pork supply in the coming months. In the 2023 September Quarterly Hogs and Pigs Report, the USDA estimated that U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs was 74.3 million heads. This was up slightly YOY, and up 2% Q2, 2023. The new quarterly report will be released in two weeks. The updated data would help us validate whether sow liquidation has increased as we hypothesize. USMEF Export Data The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently posted export data for October. U.S. pork exports posted another strong performance, led by record-large shipments to Mexico and broad-based growth elsewhere. October beef exports remained well below last year’s large totals but improved from September. October pork exports totaled 245,345 metric tons (mt), up 3% YOY as the largest since June, valued at $688.2 million. For the first 10 months of 2023, pork exports increased 9% YOY to 2.38 million mt, with value up 6% to $6.66 billion. In my opinion, the sharp decline in hog prices increases the competitiveness of U.S. pork around the world, fueling the export boom. CFTC COT Report The U.S. futures market regulator CFTC publishes the Commitments of Traders (COT) reports and provides a breakdown of open interest for futures and options markets. What’s the key takeaway from the December 5th COT report on CME leaned hog? Weekly CFTC data showed the lean hog speculative traders were closing longs and adding shorts during the week that ended 12/5. That left the funds with a 3.4k contract stronger net short of 17,963. This may be a bearish signal. However, speculative traders may have incurred large losses on the long positions, and they simply took cover. Trading Opportunity with Lean Hog Futures To sum up the above analysis, I expect to see lower hog supply due to sow liquidation in the coming months. This will usher a new hog cycle. See step (1) in the 6-step hog cycle above. With a strong labor market and cooling inflation, particularly lower gasoline prices, we could see some improvement in consumer demand for pork. A strong export market reduces supply surplus in the domestic market, which also helps lift pork prices. The April 2024 lean hog futures (HEJ4) was settled at $74.625 last Friday. Each contract has a notional value of 40,000 pounds, or $29,850 at current price. To acquire 1 long or short position, a trader is required to deposit an initial margin of $1,500. The trader could see higher hog prices if sow liquidation speeds up, and the export market remains strong. A long position would profit from the rise in hog price. Each contract would gain $400 for every 1 penny of increase in hog price per pound. On the other hand, hog prices could stay low if the opposite happens. Happy Trading. Disclaimers *Trade ideas cited above are for illustration only, as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate the fundamental concepts in risk management under the market scenarios being discussed. They shall not be construed as investment recommendations or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products, or services. CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
CME:HE1!Long
by JimHuangChicago
Could the premium get even beefier? In a previous article, "A Beefy Premium" , we delved into the growing divergence between Live Cattle and Lean Hogs. Since then, this disparity has only broadened. Currently, we're seeing a historic peak in both the absolute price difference (Live Cattle – Lean Hog) and the price ratio (Live Cattle/Lean Hog). To comprehend the drivers of this divergence, we need to explore the fundamentals of each sector. Beef: USDA economists, Russell Knight and Hannah Taylor, have noted that the repercussions of drought are still impacting calf production. The twin challenges of poor pastures and dwindling hay supplies have made it difficult for farmers to sustain their breeding stock. This has prompted a surge in beef cow culling. With anticipated feed price reductions on the horizon, we predict a tilt towards placing more calves into feedlots in 2024, constricting the cattle supply even further. Interestingly, despite the tightening cattle supply, demand remains robust. Beef cutout prices reached a pinnacle in October, with prices generally maintaining historic highs on a monthly scale. Seasonally, prices are also expected to rise slightly going into November due to a holiday boost. A possible explanation for this sustained demand might be the surge in US wages. Empowered with heftier paychecks, consumers are more able to splurge on beef, ensuring packers to keep up their slaughter pace. Pork: On the hog front, this quarter reflects a modest uptick in inventory. In contrast to the cattle market, the decline in headcounts here isn’t as pronounced. A noteworthy correlation emerges between lean hogs and soybean meal. With soybean meal being a staple in animal feed production, its price directly influences producer margins. Factors like the Russia-Ukraine conflict, US droughts, and surging demand for soybean meal have propelled its prices in recent years. Even though the current prices are tapering off, the Soybean Meal/Lean Hogs ratio remains high, signaling shrinking profit margins for producers. Moreover, compared to other commodities, the USDA's support for the Hogs and Pigs market has been relatively scant. Another point of concern is the prevalence of negative news in the swine industry, such as the European swine industry suffering substantial financial losses in 2023, leading to an 8.5% drop in production. Or bouts of African Swine Fever, threatening global supplies. Such events have the potential to threaten producer’s profitability significantly which could work its way into structural long-term decline in supply. But as of now, this remains to be seen. Overall: Current evidence seems to be pointing to a stronger preference for beef given the unwavering demand despite supply shortage and climbing prices. Basic economics principlesnudge producers to markets with higher profitability, which could work its way into an increase in participants leading to supply eventually matching demand. Although this movement, if it happens, does not occur overnight, it will eventually lead to a convergence in prices between the two markets in the future. There are also other reasons that need not be as drastic that point towards a convergence in prices in the medium term: expectations of Live Cattle supply should improve next year; the road to the maximum willingness to pay for Live Cattle is shorter now. Hence, to express our continued bearish bias, we could consider a short on the spread of live cattle to lean hogs. Given that both Lean Hog & Live Cattle Futures have the same contract unit of 40,000 pounds and price quotation of US cents per pound, we can trade the spread of the two contracts using a 1:1 ratio. This involves selling one live cattle futures contract at the current price of 185.725 and buying one lean hog futures contract at the current price of 68.025 giving us a spread of 117.7. Each 0.00025 increment is equal to 10$. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com Disclaimer: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: usda.library.cornell.edu usda.library.cornell.edu beef2live.com www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com
CME:LE1!Short
by inspirante
A third of my whole portfolio is in this short - NFALive Cattle Futures is probably an asset that you have never looked at and never thought to trade. However, it has been in it's own bull market for the past 3 years ! Having said that, now the chart is showing clear weakness and giving us the perfect entry to the trade with an incredibly low risk and high potential reward. Hitting the first tp would keep it in it's bull run and give it the much needed pullback it needs, hence I feel that it is a great opportunity. As it is an incredibly bullish asset, I am taking 50% profit at the first tp, then 25% on the 2nd and 25% on the 3rd.
CME:LE1!Short
by SynergyTradingSetups
What’s for Dinner: Beef or Pork?CME: Live Cattle ( CME:LE1! ), Lean Hog ( CME:HE1! ) When I started my career in commodity futures two decades ago, I took lectures from a former trader at the CME livestock pit. Mike used his favorite trade to explain the complex concept of inter-commodity spread. Here it is: Beef and pork typically had a retail price difference of $1 per pound. For example, a local butcher shop prices pork loin roast at $1.99/lb. and ground beef at $2.99. This price relationship was stable but subject to seasonal variations. Whenever the price spread gets too large, it has the tendency to converge to the long-term mean. Mike believed that cash market price pattern drove futures price relationship. When he observed the spread growing to $1.80, he would short the cattle-hog spread: Sell CME Live Cattle Futures and Buy CME Lean Hog Futures. With this trade, Mike expected hog/pork prices to go up relative to cattle/beef prices, reducing the spreads in both the spot and futures markets. This trade was remarkable in that it mainly relied on common sense and easily observable data. As long as you know beef comes from cattle and pork from hog and could go to grocery stores to check out the prices, you could handle this trade. Could we still deploy Mike’s strategy today? The answer is yes. Comparing to the pre-Internet age, we now have a lot more data available to validate this trade idea. Therefore, besides planning a trip to Costco or Super Wal-Mart, I suggest you read on. Cash Cattle Markets Live cattle trades in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Kansas averaged $170/cwt (100 pounds) for the week ending May 12th, according to USDA data. This represents a 21% gain over the year-ago price of $140. Cattle auctions in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota averaged $175-176/cwt last week, up 22% y/y. USDA weekly Southern Plains cash cattle price trend shows the five-year average at around $120. Cattle price has been rising rapidly in the past three years. Cash Hog Markets Market hogs averaged $77.31 last week, down $30 (-28%) y/y, according to the USDA. Current price is approximately $5 below the five-year average. The latest CPI data shows that consumer price grew at an annual rate of 4.9% as of April. While food inflation is much higher at 7.7%, the category “Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs” only logged in an increase of 2.8%. However, not all meats are created equal. Beef price continues to go up, while pork, chicken and eggs pulled back from last year’s high prices. WASDE Report USDA closely monitors agricultural market conditions and publishes the monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE). The latest WASDE, published on May 12th, estimated the total U.S. red meat and poultry production for 2024 at 1% below 2023 level, as lower beef and lower pork production offsets higher poultry production. Beef production is forecast lower with expected declines in both fed and non-fed cattle supplies. Pork production is forecast slightly lower. For 2024, cattle prices are forecast above 2023 on tighter supplies. Hog prices are forecast higher on improved demand and slightly lower supplies. CFTC COT Report The CFTC publishes the Commitments of Traders (COT) reports and provides a breakdown of open interest for futures and options markets. It categorizes the reportable open interest positions into four classifications: • Producer/Merchant/Processor/User • Swap Dealers • Managed Money • Other Reportable What’s the key takeaway from the May 9th COT report on cattle and hog? Live Cattle futures (LE) o LE open Interest: 317,715, down 8.5% from previous week; o Managed Money decreased long positions by 11.7%; their long/short ratio is 7.1. Speculative traders are still bullish on cattle prices, but they have started to take profit. Lean Hog futures (HE) o HE open Interest: 230,026, basically unchanged (-0.1%) from prior week; o Managed Money increased short position by 14.9%; their long/short ratio is 0.68. Speculative traders are bearish on hog prices. Cattle and Hog Spread Trade – Explanation and Illustration The 20-year chart shows that the price spread between live cattle (LE) and lean hog (HE) broadly stays in the range of $20-$60 per 100 pounds. Whenever the price breaks out of the range, it will get pulled back in. From January to May 2001, the spread fell nearly $50 from $45 to -$2. However, it rebounded strongly to $38 in just two months. Last May, from the bottom of $22, the spread rose all the way to $92 in March. It recently pulled back to $80, which is still well above the upper range of $20-$60. If you study the market fundamentals in hog and cattle, you will find significant uncertainty about future price trend. However, based on historical data, it’s not unreasonable to expect the spread to narrow and converge to the mean, regardless of whether the individual prices are trending up or down. The spread relationship holds true because of the substitution effect. High beef price would nudge consumers to lower priced pork. The change in demand in favor of pork would pump up its price relative to beef price, reducing the spread at the end. If a trader holds this view, he could short the cattle-hog spread like what Mike did 20 years ago: Sell CME Live Cattle Futures and Buy CME Lean Hog Futures. October cattle contract (LEV3) is quoted $166.2 per 100 lbs., while October hog contract (HEV3) priced at $77.425. on May 12th. Thus, the price spread is $88.775. Both contracts are based on 40,000 pounds of meat and require $1,600 in margins. For the spread to narrow $1, our trade would gain $400. If the cattle-hog spread falls back to the upper range at $60, the futures account would profit $11,510. Using the initial margins of $3,200 as a cost basis, the spread trade return would be 360%. The above example is for illustration only. Our trade would stand to lose money if the price spread did not converge. For example, if the spread widens to $92, futures account balance would be reduced by $1,290, a negative return of -40%. Happy Trading. Disclaimers *Trade ideas cited above are for illustration only, as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate the fundamental concepts in risk management under the market scenarios being discussed. They shall not be construed as investment recommendations or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products, or services. CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
CME:LE1!Short
by JimHuangChicago
A Beefy Premium.Live cattle recently hit an all-time high, leaving us wondering if the rally has gone too far. The front month contract reached 177 on April 13, surpassing the previous record set in November 2014. Meanwhile, lean hogs have been trading lower since last year. One way to assess this trend is to look at the spread between the two livestock markets. Both the absolute price difference and the Live Cattle/Lean Hog ratio are currently at highs. The absolute price difference is at its second-highest level ever, with only March 2015 having a higher reading. The ratio spread, meanwhile, is trading at the higher end of the range since 2015. So, what's driving this trend? Well, we could start by looking at what caused the surge in 2015. A mix of live cattle rising and lean hog prices falling contributed to the surge in the spread as cattle inventories bottomed in 2014. Looking at the current supply dynamics, we see the smallest cattle herd in eight years, with the previous low marked by the 2014 episode and hog supplies on a downtrend but still above the previous decade’s average. As consumers become more environmentally conscious, they may prefer pork over beef due to the former’s lower environmental impact per calorie. Additionally, with the price gap between beef and pork increasing, price-sensitive consumers may switch to other protein sources as inflation continues to weigh on their mind. In the longer term, consumer preferences could flip to favour hogs over cattle. Seasonality effects are also pointing towards an unusual year. Historically, May marks the low point for the spread as hog prices run up towards the middle of the year. However, with May already underway, the spread is not close to any lows and lean hogs are still trading down. This suggests that the current year’s spread is trading abnormally high compared to past trends. Given that both Lean Hog & Live Cattle Futures have the same contract unit of 40,000 pounds and price quotation of US cents per pound, we can trade the spread of the two contracts using a 1:1 ratio. To express our bearish bias on the spread we can sell one contract of the Live Cattle Futures and buy one contract of the Lean Hog Futures. Keeping in mind the 2015 run took close to 1.5 years to bottom, we will place our stops further out at 110 and take profit at 45, giving the spread a longer horizon and more room to play out. Each 0.00025 increment equal to 10$. So, will you be switching from steaks to pork chops anytime soon? The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com Disclaimer: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios. A full version of the disclaimer is available in our profile description. Reference: usda.library.cornell.edu usda.library.cornell.edu www.cmegroup.com www.cmegroup.com ourworldindata.org
CME:LE1!Short
by inspirante
3 Inflation Scenarios for 2023There are only 3 inflation scenarios that will happen till the end of 2023: i. Improve CPI to 2% ii. Range CPI to hover between the band of 5-8% iii. Continue to trend higher breaking above 9% Many investors believe scenario (i) & (iii) will be unlikely. 70% of the investors feel that CPI should settle unchanged from how the year started at between 5%-8%. Therefore, what is moving up then? Both the long-term and short-term? I have explained in the above video. Feeder Cattle Futures Minimum price fluctuation: 0.00025 per pound = $12.50 TAS: Zero or +/- 4 ticks in the minimum tick increment of the outright Disclaimer: • What presented here is not a recommendation, please consult your licensed broker. • Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises. CME Real-time Market Data help identify trading set-ups in real-time and express my market views. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com
CME:GF1!Long
by konhow
2
Long position - Live Cattle futuresOne of our algorithmic, trend-following systems entered long at Live Cattle futures at 149. The system is holding the position with a guaranteed and progressive trailing stop loss of 0.3% and could average new positions if the trend is confirmed in the next weeks. In recent weeks we have converted a few algorithmic trading programs from Pro Real Code to Python, AFL, or Pine Script with the help of Chat GPT, which shows how revolutionary AI will become in the algorithmic investing space.
CME:LE1!Long
by blockmas
What would you have on a date night? Chicken or steak? We’re going to go out on a limb here and say your date night budgets and recessionary risk are likely inversely correlated! As recessionary risk starts to weigh on investors’ minds, purse strings for date nights are likely to be tightened, which spells trouble for the date night classic, wine & steak pair. Cattle Futures have joined the broad market selloff over the past few days as investors remain on edge. This recent move lower has confirmed a break below the neckline support for a double top pattern observed on a shorter timeframe, which is noted as a bearish reversal pattern. On a longer timeframe, the decline has also broken the 4-month long uptrend for Live Cattle. With not much in the way of support, it’s quite possible to see another leg lower, similar to the pattern we observed in May 2022 where prices corrected around 4.5% once the uptrend was broken. Using this as a reference, the 143 range marks the next potential stop for live cattle prices if we were to extrapolate a 4.5% decline from the breakout point. The broken uptrend followed by the confirmation of the double top pattern spells trouble for live cattle prices. As such, we lean bearish on live cattle futures and will likely swap the date night steak for perhaps chicken… Entry at 148.550, stop at 150.325. Target at 144.850 and 143.075. The charts above were generated using CME’s Real-Time data available on TradingView. Inspirante Trading Solutions is subscribed to both TradingView Premium and CME Real-time Market Data which allows us to identify trading set-ups in real-time and express our market opinions. If you have futures in your trading portfolio, you can check out on CME Group data plans available that suit your trading needs www.tradingview.com Disclaimer: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios.
CME:LEZ2022Short
by inspirante
8
Where are commodities heading to? Beyond 2022Where are the meat or commodity prices heading? Meat prices have been rising at a rate of about 3% per annual over the last 40 years. Meat is what I classified as an edible commodity, so is corn, wheat and rice. And as these commodities start picking up in prices, they are the one that will give the central banks a huge headache and to consider to hike its interest rates than the other commodities in the CPI basket. Why is this so? In short, people can still live with some inconvenience without cars or petrol, but not without food. Therefore, there is an urgency for the policy makers to first take care of the basic needs of the people. Content: . Long-term direction of Live Cattle . Trading ideas . Investing ideas Disclaimer: • What presented here is not a recommendation, please consult your licensed broker. • Our mission is to create lateral thinking skills for every investor and trader, knowing when to take a calculated risk with market uncertainty and a bolder risk when opportunity arises. A little hack here to project the coming CPI data and also to know how aggressive the Fed will be with interest rate hike - you may consider to track the development of these edible commodity prices, if it is still trending up, we should be expecting a higher CPI and interest rates. Example on Live Cattle Futures: 0.025cts = US$10 0.10cts = US$40 145.00 = 1450 x US$40 = US$58,000 From 144 to 145 = US$400
CME:LE1!
by konhow
9
A Tale of Two Americas CME:LE1! The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released July non-farm payrolls on August 5th and July Consumer Price Index (CPI) on August 10th. Both reports beat market expectations. About 528,000 new jobs were created in July, well above June level. Annualized Inflation was lowered to 8.5% from the record 9.1% in June. While strong jobs data and taming inflation show the resilience of US economy, worrying signs are emerging. There are strikingly different faces of America: 1) People with jobs and those without; 2) Financially sound public companies and struggling small businesses; 3) Commodity prices that are under control, and those still flying high. July Non-farm Payrolls According to the Census Bureau, US population was 332 million in January 2022. Civilian Labor Force data reported by the BLS was 164 million in July, 49% of total population. It appears that the non-farm report shows us only half of the country. America: People with Jobs Total number of non-farm employees was 158 million in July. Of the half-million new jobs created, Leisure & Hospitality contributed to 96,000 (18%), while retail, wholesale, transportation, and warehousing together accounted for 42,000 (8%). Service-sector jobs tend to be low-pay, part-time and/or without benefits. Health care and Government created 70,000 (13%) and 57,000 (11%) new jobs, respectively. Since 2020, the Federal government has spent trillions to fight the pandemic and rescue the economy. These jobs were funded by budget, not by growing demand of a free market. Although American consumers continue to support the economy, low-income earners are struggling with rising costs of housing, food, transportation, and household necessity. America: People without Jobs Officially, the U.S. had 5.7 million unemployed persons in July. It is very misleading. According to the July report, “The number of persons not in the labor force who currently want a job was 5.9 million in July. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job.” If we take both into consideration, the total number of unemployed people would be 11.6 million, with real unemployment rate at 6.8%. Additionally, more than half of the population is not included in the labor force, who count children, housewives, retirees, military members, adult students, and US citizens living abroad among them. People without jobs still have living expenses. They may be supported by working family members, government programs, or charities. They are the most vulnerable when the economy turns south. Retirees with fixed income are also being hit hard. With rising price, they sometimes must make the hard choice between food, medicine, and filling up the gas tank. Now, let’s turn our focus to American businesses. American Business: Public Companies From the pandemic triggered selloff in March 2020, the S&P 500 rebounded and doubled its value to 4800 last December. In 2022, the index was down 24% in the first six months. It has since recovered half the losses, down just 11% year-to-date as of August 10th. Based on data compiled by Liberated Stock Trader, these 500 publicly traded companies employed 28 million people worldwide. Walmart (WMT) is the biggest employer with a 2.3 million workforce. Amazon (AMZN) came in 2nd, with 1.3 million employees. On average, S&P component companies have 56,000 employees. With the ability to produce and distribute their products around the world, Big Businesses could withstand the impact of higher cost or adverse policy better than most companies. According to WSJ data, as of August 5th, the trailing 12-month Price/Earnings Ratio (P/E) is 22.6 for S&P 500. Forward P/E is 18.2. Market expects S&P component companies to have lower earnings, but the impact of pending recession is not very significant. American Business: Private Companies Let’s start off by saying that I do not have comprehensive research on private businesses. Since most readers could only invest in the secondary market, we could use the Small-Cap Russell 2000 index as a proxy to mainstream American businesses. Russell has a YTD return of -12%, about 1% below the S&P. In the past five years, Russell underperformed S&P by 28%. Small-Cap stock performance is especially weak at time of market turmoil. A big difference is in the P/E ratio. Russell has a trailing P/E of 68.9, but the forward P/E sharply drops to 22.6. In good times, Small-Cap stock price have been inflated a lot more than the Blue-Chip. I expect their price to deflate faster in the pending recession. July CPI Data July CPI is unchanged from June month over month (M/M), and up 8.5% year over year (Y/Y). Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, is up 0.3% M/M and +5.9% Y/Y. Diving in the data by commodity category shows a different picture. Food: Up 1.1% M/M in July from 1.0% in June. Annualized food inflation is now 10.9%. Energy: Down 4.6% M/M, of which, gasoline, -4.6%; diesel, -4.7%; natural gas, -3.6%. Annualized energy inflation remains uncomfortably high at +33%. Gasoline price is 45% higher Y/Y after 50 days of consecutive price cuts. Commodities (excluding food and energy): Up 0.2% M/M and 7.0% Y/Y. CPI data M/M and Y/Y for selected products is: New cars, +0.6% and +10.4%; Used cars, -0.4% and +6.6%; Clothing, -0.1% and 5.1%; Pharmaceuticals, +0.6% and +3.7%. Services (excluding energy): Up 0.4% M/M and 5.5% Y/Y. CPI data M/M and Y/Y for selected service categories is: Housing, +0.5% and +5.7%; Transportation, -0.5% and +9.2%; Medical, +0.4% and +5.1%. Overall, inflation is lower in July only because the sharp decline in energy prices offset the price gains in food, housing, new cars and medicine . Investors' thrill in the stock market may be gone when they go the supermarkets after work. There are signs that consumers are downgrading their food purchases in the face of runaway inflation. Firstly, people tend to give up dining out in favor of cooking at home to save money. In July, food at home inflation was +1.3% M/M and +13% Y/Y. Price inflation for food consumed away from home increased at a slower pace, up 0.7% M/M and 7.6% Y/Y. There is a 5.5% spread, which impacts food spending at these two segments. Secondly, meat purchases show an apparent shift toward less expensive options. In July, beef price inflated 3.4% Y/Y, while pork was up 7.6% and chicken up 17.6%. Within each meat category, lower cost products also show higher inflation, indicating more demand. For example, ground beef was up 9.7% Y/Y, while steak price was down 1.5%! Bearish Trade Ideas With the headwind facing American economy, I think that a recession is inevitable. Based on the above analysis, I recommend shorting the Russell 2000. A 60+ P/E is too rich a valuation. The index could crash harder than S&P during an economic downturn. We could consider shorting the CME Micro E-Mini Russell 2000 December contract (M2KZ2) . Each contract is $5 x Index. At current quote of 1,974, each contract has a notional value of $9,870. CME requires initial margin of $550. Another idea is on beef prices. American consumer generally eats more beef while dining out. With the shift to cooking at home and buying cheaper meat, I expect beef prices to fall faster than pork price during a recession. We could short the CME Live Cattle December contract (LEZ2) . Each contract is 40,000 pounds of cattle. At current quote of 150.575, each contract has a notional value of $60,230. CME requires initial margin of $1,600. The futures market is extremely volatile this year. Getting an information edge increases your odd of success. I suggest my readers to subscribe to CME market data. TradingView users already have access to delayed data. A Pro user could upgrade to real-time CME market data for only $4 a month, a huge discount at the time of high inflation. Happy Trading. Disclaimers *Trade ideas cited above are for illustration only, as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate the fundamental concepts in risk management under the market scenarios being discussed. They shall not be construed as investment recommendations or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products, or services.
CME:LE1!Short
by JimHuangChicago
5
Feeder Cattle Test Trendline Support. Will it Continue to Hold?Feeder Cattle Technicals (August): August feeder cattle bulled back to trendline support (see chart below), which was defended into the close. Futures finished the session right near the 50-day moving average, 171.00. Grains were firm yesterday which may have added a headwind to feeders. Grains are firm again this morning which may keep that headwind in place on the open. If the Bulls cannot defend support, a drop back to Monday's low, 169.40, wouldn't be out of the question. On the resistance side of things, the gap from Monday is still intact, though partially filled on Wednesday, 173.75-174.025. Resistance: 173.75-174.025***, 176.45-177.075***, 178.225**, 181.65-182.10**** Support: 170.55 -171.00****, 169.40**, 167.325** Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. Trading advice is based on information taken from trade and statistical services and other sources Blue Line Futures, LLC believes are reliable. We do not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects our good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice we give will result in profitable trades. All trading decisions will be made by the account holder. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
CME:GFQ2022
by OliverSloup_BlueLine
Daily Live Cattle Fundamental and Technical Outlook (6.16.22)Wednesday's Slaughter is estimated at 126,000. Unchanged from last week, but 5,000 more than the same week last year. Wednesday's Cutout Values Choice: 268.22, Down 1.22 from the previous day. Select245.68, Down 1.14 from the previous day. Choice/Select Spread: 22.54 5 Area Average Cattle Price Live Steer: 143.81 Live Heifer: 142.99 Dressed Steer: 229.10 Dressed Heifer: 229.65 Outside Markets as of 6:00 AM Dow Jones -571 points or 1.86% S&P 500 -85 points or 2.20% Live Cattle Technicals (August): August live cattle gaped higher on the open as the outside markets showed signs of live. The move higher filled the Monday morning gap and then some. The market finished the session a hair above the upper end of our resistance pocket, 136.625. If the Bulls can continue to defend this, we could see a move back above last week’s highs, 137.90-137.95. Above that pocket and we likely extend into the giant gap from April 25th, 138.75-140.275. On the support side of things, 134.85-135.35 is the pocket the Bulls will want to defend. Resistance: 137.90-137.95**, 138.75**, 140.275** Pivot: 136.60 Support: 134.85-135.35***, 132.45-132.775**, 129.975-130.725**** Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. Trading advice is based on information taken from trade and statistical services and other sources Blue Line Futures, LLC believes are reliable. We do not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects our good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice we give will result in profitable trades. All trading decisions will be made by the account holder. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
CME:LEQ2022
by OliverSloup_BlueLine
Live Cattle Fundamental and Technical UpdateMonday’s Slaughter is estimated at 125,000. Unchanged from last week, but 8,000 more than the same week last year. Monday’s Cutout Values Choice: 270.54, Down .78 from the previous day. Select: 247.45, Down 1.44 from the previous day. Choice/Select Spread: 23.09 5 Area Average Cattle Price Live Steer: 140.14 Live Heifer: 138.35 Dressed Steer: 226.03 Dressed Heifer: 225.95 Live Cattle Technicals (August): August live cattle got taken to the woodshed yesterday, along with nearly every other market out there as a risk-off sentiment fed on itself ahead of this week’s Federal Reserve meeting where the chances of a .75 rate hike went from 25% to 94% over the span of one trading session. As painful as yesterday may have been, it prices in the bearishness that comes with a more rapid rate increase and leaves room for outside markets to rally if the Fed only comes in with a .50 hike. If the Fed hiked rates a full point, that would obviously be another story. Needless to say, outside market money flow and sentiment will be a key catalyst through tomorrow’s Fed meeting. Resistance: 136.025-136.625***, 137.90-137.95**, 138.75**, 140.275** Pivot: 135.10-135.475 Support: 134.40-135.10***, 132.45-132.775**, 129.975-130.725**** Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. Trading advice is based on information taken from trade and statistical services and other sources Blue Line Futures, LLC believes are reliable. We do not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects our good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice we give will result in profitable trades. All trading decisions will be made by the account holder. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
CME:LEQ2022
by OliverSloup_BlueLine
Feeder Cattle Need to Defend Support to Keep Momentum Feeder Cattle Commitments of Traders Update: Friday’s CoT report showed Managed Money were net buyers of 3,798 futures/options contracts, through June 7th. This shrinks their net short position to 5,472. Broken down, that is 10,900 longs VS 16,372 shorts. Technicals (August): August feeder cattle retreated on Friday after failing against technical resistance, which we had outlined in previous reports as 176.75-177.075. This pocket represents previously important price points and the 100-day moving average. If the Bulls can eventually chew through this pocket, it would open the door for a potential run back near 182. On the support side of things, our first pocket from 174.00-174.30 remains intact after holding on Friday’s pullback. If that pocket gives way, we could retrace to last week’s breakout point and the 50-day moving average, 171.50-171.925. Resistance: 176.75-177.075***, 178.225**, 181.65-182.10**** Support: 174.00-174.30***, 172.90**, 171.50-171.925**** Futures trading involves substantial risk of loss and may not be suitable for all investors. Trading advice is based on information taken from trade and statistical services and other sources Blue Line Futures, LLC believes are reliable. We do not guarantee that such information is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Trading advice reflects our good faith judgment at a specific time and is subject to change without notice. There is no guarantee that the advice we give will result in profitable trades. All trading decisions will be made by the account holder. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
CME:GFQ2022
by OliverSloup_BlueLine
That’s going to be one expensive steak!Where can we feel the impact of high inflation most directly in our daily lives? Food and energy! Livestock is a market that certainly deserves more of our attention. Surging energy prices (especially natural gas) have led to high fertilizer prices, which pushed up grain prices. Eventually, that gets translated into higher prices for livestock which are heavily affected by the prices of corn and other feeds. The transmission takes time; therefore, the opportunity window to position ourselves is still open. It’s also a good time to stock up on some premium steaks in your freezer before they get a lot more expensive! December 2022 Live Cattle future has just broken out from a 10-week ascending triangle, which suggests that the next leg of the rally has likely started. Entry at 150.5, stop below 146.5. Targets are 155.5 and 160.5. Disclaimer: The contents in this Idea are intended for information purpose only and do not constitute investment recommendation or advice. Nor are they used to promote any specific products or services. They serve as an integral part of a case study to demonstrate fundamental concepts in risk management under given market scenarios.
CME:LEZ2022Long
by inspirante
live cattle. do less bad things. I implore you.I have been doing some fasting recently. I haven't been doing it that much this year compared to usual, and it's a pretty misery inducing process, but I always feel pretty good when it's done. I just finished a 24 hour fast before posting this, and now I have the energy to mark up a chart and ask people to consume less. I have gone as long as 5 days back in the day, but I'm not in the same physical condition I was then, so I'm pretty happy with 24 hours in the present. Fasting is really good for your health. Even if you can't accomplish the durations you were setting out for originally you will still reap some benefit.
CME:LEQ2021
by emehoke