With USDA weekly export sales showing robust beef shipments, feeder cattle futures are finding additional momentum. April contracts holding above the $240 mark could invite further speculative inflows in the short term. Live cattle futures saw contracts steady to 75 cents in the red across most months on Wednesday. Open interest showed a rotation of ownership, up just 72 contracts. The Wednesday morning Fed Cattle Exchange showed no sales on the 2,552 head listed, with a few bids of $232. Outside of that, there has been some light cash trade at $230 in the North, down $2-5 from last week. Dressed trade was reported at $360. Feeder cattle futures posted losses of $1 to $2.05 across most front months on Wednesday. The CME Feeder Cattle Index was back up 62 cents at $364.71 on September 30. Connect with a member of our expert Agricultural team for more information about our products. Cattle feeder futures continue to show relative strength versus live cattle, reflecting optimism in forward beef demand. This divergence could continue if slaughter-ready cattle prices plateau while feeder supplies tighten.