Barchart cattle futures supply chain updates from beef

Supply chain updates from beef processors show limited capacity expansion, supporting Barchart cattle futures’ current bullish structure on charts. Strong packer margins keep bids active. USDA Wholesale Boxed Beef prices were lower on Thursday morning, with the Chc/Sel spread narrowing to $18.57. Choice boxes were down $5.37 at $363.10, while Select was $2.36 lower to $344.53. USDA federally inspected cattle slaughter for Wednesday was estimated at 115,000 head, with the weekly total at 348,000 head. That was 3,000 head below last week but 21,142 head below the same week in 2024. Oct 25 Feeder Cattle closed at $357.175, up $2.875, Barchart cattle futures traders are closely monitoring export data, with recent shipments to Asia showing year-over-year growth. Strong foreign demand could underpin current price levels despite seasonal production increases.