U.S. lean hog futures fell broadly Thursday on the combination of a sharp drop in wholesale pork prices and a selloff in corn futures. December hog futures finished down 6 to 87.57, February hog futures fell 115 to 82.97.
Live cattle futures rose modestly as investors waited for the latest signs for beef demand. December Live Cattle rose 3 to $121, January Feeder cattle rose 7 to $146
US wheat futures ended higher, avoiding the price pressure that consumed grain and oilseed futures. March wheat in Chicago rose 1/4 to $6.14 and March wheat in KC climbed 8 to $6.69.
US corn futures ended lower Thursday, fueled by sluggish export demand and the absence of an outside catalyst to attract buyers. March corn ended down 6 1/2 at $6.01.
US soybean futures end lower, ending a three-day recovery, Soy product futures ended mixed. Jan soy ended down 3 1/4 at $11.28, Jan soy oil ended up 20 at 49.70 and Jan soy meal dropped $3.20 to $289.00
December new crop cotton gained 39 to $90.70 and the March contract also gained 39 to $91.30.
Gold futures settled lower after touching fresh two-week highs Thursday, as investor enthusiasm over central banks' plans to cut the cost of borrowing dollars faded. December gold, fell $10.20 to $1,735.30 an ounce, Silver prices slipped 4.5 cents to $32.75.
Crude oil futures settled slightly weaker Thursday but held above the key $100-a-barrel level amid continued worries about the global economy and oil demand. January crude dropped 16 cents to $100.20 a barrel, January gasoline fell a fraction to $2.55 a gallon, and January distillates dropped 5.56 cents to $2.96 a gallon.
Natural gas futures gained almost 3% Thursday, surging to a three-week high after a weekly government report showed U.S. gas stockpiles fell last week. January Natural gas gained 9.8 cents to $3.64.
The euphoria that sent the blue chips surging above the 12000 threshold on Wednesday faded a bit Thursday as stocks retreated a bit in response to an unexpected increase in weekly jobless claims. The Dow fell 25 to close at 12,020, the Nasdaq gained 5 to close at 2,626, and the S&P 500 dropped 2 to 1,244.
|