Live cattle futures rallied to close the Friday session, $1.75 to $2.85 higher into the final bell, as October was $6.72 higher for the week. Open interest slipped 138 contracts on Friday. Cash trade picked up on Friday, with sales noted $1-6 higher at $222-225. The Friday morning Fed Cattle Exchange showed $225 sales on 45 of the 952 head offered, with $223-224 bids on other lots. Feeder cattle futures posted gains of $3.85 to $5.40 across the board on Friday, as September futures were $13 higher for the week. Open interest suggested new buying, up 1,868 contracts. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was back up $2.26 on September 10 to $331.22.
Export Sales data from USDA showed beef sales for 2026 at just 8,581 MT for the week ending on 9/3. That was an 8-week low. Shipments were tallied at 11,521 MT, which was a 4-week low.
